SKOWHEGAN — Holiday celebrations returned after a pandemic hiatus, and the chilly weather didn’t stop visitors from near and far from enjoying it.

The skies were clear in downtown Skowhegan for SKOW-Whoville, hosted by Main Street Skowhegan and other local partners, but it was brisk and there was just enough snow and ice on the ground to remind everyone that yes, it is December in Maine. But that didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the variety of events offered Saturday, from a scavenger hunt for the Grinch’s heart to local craft fairs.

Kristina Cannon, the executive director of Main Street Skowhegan, said the event is the latest version of the town’s holiday stroll, which has been around in some form for nearly 30 years. In 2019, the organization rebranded the event as the Whoville Stroll on the Debe Park river trail, and had around one thousand people attend.

The event was paused last year because of the pandemic, and given high attendance in the past, there was a concerted effort to keep things spread out and largely outdoors, Cannon said. This year’s name is part of the organizations pride campaign for the area — SKOW stands for Someplace Kind Of Wonderful.

One of the main events Saturday was “A Search for the Grinch’s Heart,” a scavenger hunt that incorporated riddles and local knowledge to take participants across the downtown area. Teams filled out a booklet with clues and questions, and the winner after scoring received a $500 cash prize.

“I always find it heartwarming to see people coming into Skowhegan, and then the other piece that I am really excited to see is that families are coming out and doing an activity together,” Cannon said.

Another activity, further out of downtown, was Paws for a Cause, hosted by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs/GFWC Semper Fidelis Club. The club offered a chance to make ornaments at Bigelow Brewing, and accepted donations of cash and pet food for Canines for Companions and the Somerset Humane Society.

Maureen Provencal, president of the club, said that they had a good turnout and received quite a few donations. She, and others in the club, had enjoyed seeing all the different dogs stop by.

“It’s been well received by the dog owners, and to see the dogs interacting has been wonderful,” Provencal said.

While the festivities came to a head Saturday, there was plenty on offer earlier in the week, with a trivia night Thursday at Bigelow Brewing and a parade Friday night featuring more than 30 floats.

Nona Laney, who lives in North Anson, was enjoying activities in the park and working on the scavenger hunt with her 10-year-old daughter. She said they always come to the Skowhegan holiday events, and missed it last year.

“I’m glad they were able to do it again,” Laney said.

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