Your holiday weekend doesn’t need to end when you pass out turkey leftovers to visitors and get the dishes into the dishwasher.
Several Sanpete County communities have events scheduled Friday and Saturday to kick off the Christmas season. If you’re into lights, there is a light parade Friday night in Manti. On Saturday night, there will be a light parade in Gunnison and a downtown lighting festival in Mt. Pleasant.
If you’re full of energy, pull on your running tights and do the Santa Run in Gunnison Valley on Saturday morning. And all those activities are just the beginning.
In Manti, families might want to start their activities by driving by Manti High School at 4 p.m. to greet Santa. If you want to participate in the light parade, decorate your trucks, trailers, ATVs etc. and line up at the red church at 5 p.m. If you just want to be a spectator, be on Main Street when the parade starts at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, the annual Christmas Lights Festival in Mt. Pleasant will be held from 4-6:30 p.m. During that timeframe, lights on buildings on the town’s historic Main Street will be turned on. There will also be children’s games with prizes, hayrides, hot chocolate and cookies. Musical entertainment will be provided by the Mt. Pleasant Elementary School.
Another feature of the celebration will be an exhibit of lithographs depicting the history of banking in Mt. Pleasant. Those will be on display in the former Wells Fargo Bank building, now the city offices.
Meanwhile, the Sanpete Valley Choral Arts Society will present a short concert at the Wasatch Academy Music Conservatory (formerly the First Presbyterian Church) at 5:45 p.m. The concert is affiliated with “Thrive 125,” a statewide program marking the 125th anniversary of Utah statehood. In fact, toward the end of the concert, Mt. Pleasant Elementary students will join in singing “Utah We Love Thee,” the official state song.
In Gunnison Valley, Christmas events start bright and early on Saturday with the Santa 5K run. Registration is 9 a.m. at the clock tower. Feel free to dress up as an elf, Santa Claus, or anything else that gets you in the holiday spirit. All proceeds will go to the Sub for Santa for residents of Gunnison Valley.
Then set your clocks for 2 or 4 p.m., where you can enjoy a free showing of the movie “Polar Express” at the Casino Star Theatre.
Finally, come to Main Street beginning at 6 p.m. and see all the entries in the Gunnison Light Parade. You can meet Santa following the parade at the fire station.
In Spring City, bring the Christmas spirit to Main Street and other locations by volunteering to decorate a light pole. Call Mayor Cynthia DeGrey at (435) 469-1329 for an assignment to a specific pole. Judging will be Dec. 3, so decorating must be complete before then.
If you want to drive to Spanish Fork, their 23rd annual Festival of Lights runs from Thanksgiving Day through Jan. 1. More than a million lights depict skiers, skaters, toy land characters, ballerinas, Dickens carolers and more.
Head toward Price on U.S. 6 to Powerhouse Road (there is a Chevron station and the Acorn Restaurant on the corner). Turn right. Signs will be posted along the highway to direct you. Open nightly 6-10 p.m. from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. $7 per car, $20 for larger van or vehicle towing trailer, $30 per bus. Cash or check only.
Many other holiday events are also right around the corner, beginning in early December. See the “Celebrating the Seasons” magazine in this edition for a complete list of holiday offerings.
