On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4, Whitehall will be celebrating the holidays. With a lighted parade and ceremony in Riverside Park on Saturday and a craft fair on Sunday, there will be plenty of fun for the family.
Heather Gordon of the Whitehall Parent Teacher Association said they are planning their first Christmas Craft Fair.
“It will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the high school gymnasium,” she said. “We are still in the early stages of planning, but the event will have plenty of different vendors.”
The idea was brought forward by Penny Hollister, and Gordon mentioned that this is their first come back since the pandemic hit in early 2020. She said that she has been hard at work getting vendors and helping organize the day.
“We’re in our rebuilding stages because of Covid and I approached Penny . . . we got together and went over things and just yesterday sent home memberships and a newsletter to all the parents in the elementary building,” she said.
The group is looking for local vendors. Anyone interested in taking part in the craft fair can email Heather Gordon at [email protected] for more information.
As for the lighted Christmas parade – this year on the theme “Magic of Christmas” – it will line up at Riverside Park on Saturday, Dec. 3, around 4 p.m. with a kick-off at 5 p.m. The parade will follow the normal parade route through town. Riley Ballard organized last year’s parade and has been working out the kinks for this year.
“It’s a do-and-learn process for us. We saw what could be better after last year and that’s what we focused on making better this year. We want to grow a little bit more each year,” she said.
The signing up to be a judged float this year is one thing that changed. While anyone can be a part of the parade, Ballard said that those who want to be in the running for judgment have until Nov. 25 to sign up for their spot.
“Previously, we gave people their numbers in the parade when they showed up but now, we have it so those that want to be judged, the number to be displayed on both sides of the vehicle during the parade are being assigned before,” she said.
There are already more than 10 vehicles signed up to be judged. This year’s theme is the Magic of Christmas. Ballard said it’s up to the participants to decide what that means to them and decorate accordingly. Judging will be done for the most decorative, most memorable, and most original.
“We leave it up for everyone to bring in their own creativity and that’s what we want to see,” she said.
Following the parade, it is asked for any Santas on a float to remove the top half of the costume so there is less confusion.
Following the parade there will be a tree-lighting ceremony in Riverside Park and American Legion Post 83 will be open for cookies, hot chocolate, and for kids to have a meet-and-greet with Santa. For more information or to sign up for the parade, contact Riley Ballard at 518-955-7251 or through Facebook.
