The sprint to the holidays starts Saturday with Main Street Washington’s SNOW Blitz slate of events. The day starts on the Washington Square with the Jingle Bell 5K Fun Run. Registration is at 8a.m. At JP’s 207 with the race at 9. Participants can choose between a one mile walk around the square or a 5K through downtown and Sunset Park. Registration is $25 for those 10 and older, $10 for those under 10. All are invited inside JP’s 207 for awards and prizes after. KCII will broadcast live and play music with the Big Red Radio from 8-10a.m.
Breakfast with Santa is scheduled for 8-10a.m. At the Washington United Presbyterian Church. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children. Enjoy a breakfast of pancakes with Santa provided by the Washington Lions Club.
The Reason for the Season Christmas concert is at 1p.m. At the Washington High School Auditorium. Cost is $10 for adults, students and kids are free.
At 5p.m. The Washington Public Library will host a product of this year’s live radio Christmas Play “Holiday Affair”. You’re invited to enjoy the show through the windows of the library and tune in to the live broadcast on AM and FM KCII from 5-6p.m.
Following the radio play is the downtown lighting ceremony at 6p.m. As Santa Claus takes the stage at the Washington Square band shell to turn on the downtown lights and officially welcome in the Christmas season. The night finishes with the holiday lighted parade around the Washington Square after the ceremony. KCII will announce the parade live for those who attend on the square.
Along with all of the activities, it’s also Small Business Saturday, with many local businesses participating. This week, Main Street Washington Director Samantha Meyer spoke with KCII News about the work put into Saturday’s activities, the full schedule and Small Business Saturday. “Lot of volunteers and lots of patience. Lucky in this community, we have an abundance of both. Don Kline and Marianne Hanshaw, Main Street probably just couldn’t go forth without those two! They are so fantastic and have done it for so many years. The City has been helping with everything, the trees, the lighting. The Chamber is fantastic. Everybody coming together and supporting each other has been wonderful. Small Business Saturday really highlights our downtown. Many of them are signed up for our SNOW promo and have special deals going on. Really cool stuff. Many of them have giveaways the day of. We also are going to have a scavenger hunt. All of the stores that are involved in SNOW are going to have an ornament that you can go to their shop and find. They’ll also have bingo cards that they will initial for you once you find that ornament. Then you drop off your filled out bingo card in Santa’s mailbox on the square by the fountain and we will draw a grand prize winner that will win a gift basket full of local goodies.”
You can hear more from Meyer during today’s Halcyon House Washington Page on-air and online at KCIIradio.com. A full schedule of SNOW Blitz events is available at KCIIradio.com and at Washingtoniowa.gov.