A Woodland Christmas is the theme this year for Platte City’s Holiday Lighting Celebration.
The annual Thanksgiving Eve tradition will be held next Wednesday, Nov. 23 on Main Street in the county seat. It’ll run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and feature all kinds of holiday activities and traditional characters.
Holiday decorations and banners are being installed this week by city personnel on light poles downtown, and storefront windows are being painted and decorated in advance of the celebration. Christmas lights line buildings on both sides of Main and will be flipped on during the ceremony, as will the lights on the Platte County Courthouse.
The flipping of the switch will be done at 6 p.m.
“Our new superintendent of Platte County R-3, Dr. Jay Harris, will have the honor of turning on the lights,” says Tricia Friddell, executive director of the Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will of course be on hand. There will be horse-drawn carriage rides, a children’s sticker stop game for prizes, pony rides, face painting, a petting zoo, kids’ train rides, a live nativity scene, a balloon artist, live music, Christmas Karaoke, and much more.
There will be free hot dogs, chili and water being served by the local firemen and police officers in the Central Platte Fire Protection District headquarters at Second and Main.
Also in the fire department will be fresh hot popcorn from Nodaway Valley Bank and frosted cookies from Wells Bank.
There will be cookies at the Opus Group office, treat bags at Cohen’s Art & Framing, hot cocoa at the Beacon of Hope in the 100 block of Main and candy canes at La Cabana Mexican Restaurant across from the courthouse.
There will be a couple of make-it-take-it locations, a Christmas selfie-station and the Sticker Stop board game “where the little ones collect all the stickers and turn in the game boards for prizes,” Friddell explained.
Life 88.5, Kansas City Christian radio, will be broadcasting live at the Snyder’s event space patio near Second and Main.
“We’ll be recording drone footage to be produced into a 2-3 minute holiday video for our community,” Friddell added.
To avoid parking challenges, attendees can catch a free trolley ride from the Platte County High School parking lot to Main Street.
The trolley runs every 15 minutes from 5 p.m. till 8:30 p.m.
The chamber is still accepting toy donations of $10-$15 new, unwrapped gifts. Those donating will get their names listed in the program, Friddell said. The toys will be used as prizes for the sticker game.
The free community event is co-sponsored by the City of Platte City and the Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce.