JERSEYVILLE, IL (Nov. 15, 2019) – Santa Claus is coming to town on Nov. 30. To the
heart of downtown Jerseyville, that is.
He’ll arrive in Jerseyville that day at about 2 p.m., but instead of the usual team of
reindeer pulling his sleigh up onto a rooftop, Santa will once again be making his seasonal debut via helicopter, courtesy of the Survival Flight crew based at Jersey Community Hospital.
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Making his descent at the city’s Lions Club Park, which is located near North Jefferson
and East Exchange Streets, Santa will take up residency soon afterward near the rear entrance of Heneghan, White, Cutting & Rice Insurance Agency, 200 N. State St., for the remainder of the 5th annual Downtown Country Christmas Festival event.
Kids will not only have the chance to share their holiday wish lists with Santa throughout the afternoon and evening; parents will also have the chance to capture free photos of their children visiting with Santa Claus.
Attendees will have the chance to mark off their holiday to-do lists by visiting the
participating downtown stores and restaurants offering exclusive Festival specials and by also taking advantage of the heated tent full of local vendors and exhibitors with many unique offerings as well.
Still yet another way to work through one’s list is to stop in at Mrs. Claus’ Bake Shop, a returning feature on the Festival’s extensive holiday lineup.
The Bake Shop will be located along with Santa in the back part of the insurance
company venue. Opening its doors at 2:15 p.m., a wide array of goodies will be available for purchase at the Bake Shop until the Downtown Country Christmas Festival concludes with Rudolph’s Red Nose Parade or items are sold out.
There will be cookies, cupcakes, candy, cinnamon rolls, puppy chow, popcorn, fudge,
chocolate covered pretzels and even more available for purchase from the Bake Shop during the Festival. Visitors can experience a nostalgic Christmas bake shop atmosphere while picking from a wide variety of favorite desserts. Prices will vary, starting at just $1 for some of the items available.
Holly Camacaro, school administrator at Thrive Christian School, shared further details
about Mrs. Claus’ Bake Shop and what festival goers can expect to find there.
“Our students help to make all of the desserts and package them for the day of the
event. All of the money we receive for the baked goods at Mrs. Claus’ Bake Shop goes back to the Festival for the next year,” said Camacaro.
Thrive Christian School will also be selling ice cream at the corner of East Exchange and North State Streets to help cover costs incurred by hosting the Festival’s annual Bake Shop and selling gift card holders from inside the Bake Shop to benefit the school directly
There are many other ways that the Downtown Country Christmas Festival will draw
thousands of families and neighbors from throughout the region together once again in the spirit of the holiday season on Nov. 30, as it has the previous four years of the event.
Live music throughout the day, the North Pole Post Office onsite, Holiday Hayrides
around Downtown Jerseyville, Historical Cheney Mansion Tours, and a free movie at
Jerseyville’s Stadium Theater are among an extensive list of “all things Christmas” as a part of the Festival.
This year’s Kringle Award recipient will also be announced at the official city tree at 5
p.m., as will Light Up Your Business winners. Michael Ward, Festival board president, shared the motivation behind the friendly Light Up Your Business holiday “competition.”
“Each year our local businesses take such pride in their holiday décor,” Ward said, “that we thought a small ‘Light Up Your Business’ competition would be another way to say thank you to each of those small businesses for being a part of our community.”
Ward added that, if a business does want to participate in this competition, the deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 27 by 4:30 p.m. Voting takes place from 5 p.m. Nov. 29 to 4 p.m. the day of the Festival, Nov. 30.
Rudolph’s Red Nose Parade will conclude the evening, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Parade
registration is now underway for groups and businesses wishing to participate. There is no cost for entries; registrations are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
All parade entries must have an illuminated element incorporated in their design;
throwing candy or free giveaways is encouraged as well. There are five categories of winners to be awarded from parade participation: most participation, brightest, best theme, most holiday spirit, and Rudolph’s Choice. Lineup for the parade will take place along Washington Street by 7 p.m., with the parade procession beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Entry forms and complete details about the 5th annual Downtown Country Christmas Festival are available online at downtowncountrychristmas.com.
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