Holiday celebrations continue this weekend
LANSDALE » The borough has made a list, checked it twice, and is getting ready for a big Friday night.
Council members gave one last update this week on the town’s upcoming holiday schedule, starting with the town’s tree lighting and visit by Santa tonight, Dec. 3.
“We have the tree lighting ceremony on Friday: at 6 p.m. the North Penn (High School) chorus will perform, and then at 6:30 p.m. Santa will ride into town on his sleigh,” said councilwoman Mary Fuller.
For the past several weeks, staff and council have discussed the events slated to mark the holiday season, including the borough Mardi Gras parade held on Nov. 20. Fuller and fellow councilmember Bill Henning, both members of borough event nonprofit Discover Lansdale, each gave updates Wednesday night on events slated for this weekend, starting with the Friday night tree lighting and visit from Santa.
“He’ll just briefly stop to light the tree, and then he has to go get his booster shot and make gifts, so he will be in town just briefly,” Fuller said.
The borough’s Santa House will once again be located at Railroad Avenue, but instead of in-person visits with the man in red, local kids can drop off their wish lists and a response will be sent by Santa. Tonight also marks the start of the 10th annual Lansdale Christmas Tree Display, which Henning said can be seen, in parts, all around town.
“You’ll be able to vote for your favorite tree, as is typical. Half of the trees are up at 810 W. Main Street, so you can start there and work your way down. I know Wister’s Barbecue has a couple” of trees already on display, Henning said. The tree display will be themed “Decades of Celebrations,” and instead of a keepsake program, custom posters will be shown in each store window, telling the story of the trees displayed by local businesses and organizations. A map of those trees will be posted on Discover Lansdale’s website, and visitors can vote for their favorites there and on Discover’s Facebook page.
And for those who missed out on commemorative buttons at the Mardi Gras parade, don’t worry: they’ll be available at the tree lighting instead.
“I got a big box of buttons, so please come on down and get a button, or two or three. It was one of those silly errors that happens, and I think the important thing is how we handle it,” Henning said.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, the Lansdale Historical Society will host its annual “Holidays at the Homestead” open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when residents can see one of the oldest houses in the borough — the society’s Jenkins Homestead at 137 Jenkins Avenue — decorated for the holidays.
“If you have a little spare time, stop over: the Homestead’s all decorated for the holidays, so get a quick tour,” Henning said.
On Sunday, Dec. 5, the borough’s annual TubaChristmas concert will be held at Railroad Plaza, with a high school group performing first at 1:15 p.m., followed by dozens of brass band members at 2 p.m. Just under two weeks later, on Dec. 18, the Fairmount Fire Company will bring Santa throughout the town to various neighborhoods, in a Santa ride starting at 4 p.m.
For more information on Lansdale Borough and its upcoming events, visit www.Lansdale.org or www. DiscoverLansdale.org.