Santa, with the help of local organizers, is going to light up Blenheim on Dec. 1.
Well, first the jolly old big man will take part in the community’s annual Santa Claus parade that evening. But afterwards, he will help turn on the Christmas spirit at Talbot Trail Place.
Cathy Smith, one of the main organizers of the event, invites everyone to stop by.
“After the parade, everyone will hopefully be at the park. Santa is going to flip the switch and the whole park is going to light up,” she said. “It will be lit up the whole month of December.”
The Festival of Lights was initially to take place in 2020, but the pandemic hit. Public health concerns delayed things until this year, Smith said.
“We were in discussions that began before covid, trying to do something at Talbot Trail Place at Christmas,” she said. “We managed to pull together key organizations and we’ve been working together for the past year to make this happen.”
Smith said organizers reached out to the Blenheim Youth Centre and Blenheim District High School for support, as well as other community groups.
“It’s a community event, a whole cast of characters, a bunch of groups and people involved,” she said.
Blitzen Pro Lighting, a local company that specializes in holiday lighting, is heading up the task of placing the lights. Smith said the organization, with the help of Rotarians, lit up two of the buildings in the park last year, and will have help from the youth centre to expand this year.
“It’s safe to say the whole park will be lit up. The stage will have its own theme. The fountain will be lit. It’s a small park with a lot of lights,” Smith said.
Talbot Trail Place is located at the Y junction of Chatham Street and Marlborough Street just south of the downtown.
The Santa Claus Parade begins at 7 p.m.
