ELK POINT - The bright and beautiful display of 27 trees, a massive inflated arch and a Grinch-driven hot rod spread across the Iron Horse Trail Staging area from the Eco Centre to the log cabin sprang into its full glory last Friday evening and will continue to light up the nights throughout the festive season and into the New Year.
Five of the entries are new this year, two of them from long-time Chamber of Commerce members Rona and Hahn Welding, two from new members, Second Time Finds and the Christian Community Church’s Mountain Movers Youth Group, and a totally new concept - a memorial tree, set up by Cam and Diane Peifer, where those who have lost a friend or family member are invited to add an ornament in memory of loved ones.
The Forest of Trees will also be the backdrop for the lineup for the second of Elk Point Chamber of Commerce’s ‘3 Fridays of Fun’ on Dec. 2, as the starting point for the Winter Wonderland Parade, a longstanding part of Elk Point’s pre-Christmas traditions.
Businesses, organizations and other participants now have just one day to put the final touches on their floats and decorated vehicles before they become part of the parade lineup near the EcoCentre on Friday. No registration is required, and entries can just join the lineup between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., when the parade will head up Main Street to follow its traditional route. Following the parade, the Elk Point Lions will serve hot dogs and hot chocolate at the Eco Centre.
Many businesses extend their hours and have special sales or events on parade night, and there are other added attraction to parade night this year. A pancake supper at the Seniors Recreation Centre, with the Elk Point Skating Club flipping the flapjacks goes from 5 to 8 p.m. to help raise funds to replace A. G. Ross Arena’s aging and problematic ice plant, and the Christian Community Church is hosting coffee and a Christmas flea market following the parade.
For many years, the parade was part of the chamber’s Christmas Extravaganza, a single night of late night shopping and events that wrapped up with draws for prizes for lucky shoppers. Last year, however, it became the mid-point in a two week long Shop Local campaign, giving shoppers a full two weeks to enter the draws for a wide range of prizes, with the prize draws slated for the third Friday, on Dec. 9.
