WATERVILLE — The kickoff to the holiday season in the city will start Saturday with a parade of color, bright lights, music and dancing, and a slate of holiday events continuing into December.
The annual Parade of Lights, expected to bring thousands of spectators downtown, is set to begin at 6 p.m.Saturday and tout everything from fire engines and police cruisers to big trucks and equipment sparkling with lights. Dancers will kick up their heels.
“We’ve got TNT Dance Studio, Young Americans Dance Center, Stage Presence for Dancers,” said Amarinda Keys, executive director of the Children’s Discovery Museum that coordinates the events with the city. “We’ve got an ATV club that’s going to be hauling a trailer with an ATV on it and also, we have Central Maine Jeep owners that come with their Jeeps.”
New this year among the 30 floats and other participants will be a food-themed float hosted by Waterville Food Truck Park, a business that opened this year on Kennedy Memorial Drive. And, of course, Santa Claus will arrive on the final float.
The procession will start at the intersection of Main and Elm streets near the fire station and head south on Main to Castonguay Square where a giant evergreen stands. Santa will wave from the sleigh to magically turn on the tree lights.
“It grows every year and it’s magical to see,” Keys said Friday. “The whole community comes through to celebrate the holiday season. We coordinate the parade and we’re proud to do that but it wouldn’t be anything without the participants and the floats. People are getting better and better and more and more creative.”
In the square, Santa’s mini-village known as Kringleville will open for visitors Sunday . They may meet Santa between 1 and 4 p.m., as well as at the same times on Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21. Each child will receive a free story book courtesy of Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, Marden’s Surplus & Salvage and Sappi N.A. The cabin at Kringleville has a new accessible ramp, donated by Monitor of Maine and Chase Toys, according to Keys.
Major sponsors of the events are Central Maine Motors, KSW Federal Credit Union and Selah Tea.
Keys said 25 participants have registered to take part in the Light Up the Town decorating contest, open to residents and businesses in Waterville, Winslow, Benton, Fairfield, Oakland, Sidney and Vassalboro.
People may follow a map provided by the Discovery Museum to visit each site. The map will be available at kringleville.org and on the Kringleville Facebook page. Properties will be ready for viewing starting Friday and participants are asked to keep them decorated throughout the holiday season.
Santa also welcomes letters, and children may leave them in the mailbox outside his cabin or send them through the U.S. Post Office on College Avenue. He will respond to all letters as long as a return address is listed.
