Wayne County Life

Submitted by:  Jerry Ashley, Lyons Main Street Program

"It's the most wonderful time of the year" as the holiday song goes and that time of year is quickly approaching. Back for its third outing, the "Light Up Lyons Holiday Lights Parade" joins forces this year with Peppermint Winter Wonderland's "Light Up the Park" to provide an evening of fun and holiday merriment on Saturday, November 26th. The parade encourages residents, organizations and businesses to come up with a vehicle to cover with lights - heck, anything that moves is fair game! Dress up the family mutt, cover the kiddies' wagon or battery operated vehicle with lights, build a silly miniature float or gather up a group of merry-makers to prance along doing the antler dance or sing your way down the route. Cover the family van or your bicycle with lights. Fire up the ATV and hook up an I-pod and speakers to blast your favorite carol for all of Lyons to hear. Converters are available online for $25 or less that will convert a port in late model cars and trucks into a 110 volt outlet for holiday lights so here is your chance to kick the holidays into high gear with bright lights and fanfare!

 

New for this year, Santa will arrive at the park on as the Honorary Grand Marshall on the last fire truck in the parade accompanied by the Lyons Varisty Cheerleaders. The Lyons HS Vocal Jazz Ensemble will be on hand to sing some holiday carols and the Cheerleaders will assist Santa with the countdown to the lighting of the park. Afterward Santa will sit for pictures with the kids at Newberry's on William Street (sorry guys, no word yet about having your picture taken with the cheerleaders). Peppermint Winter Wonderland will also be celebrating the shop local national promotion "Small Business Saturday". Small Business Saturday is the antithesis of Black Friday where shoppers are encouraged to shop local small businesses or those commonly referred to as "mom and pops". To further encourage locals to shop downtown Lyons on November 26th, Mayor Corrine Kleisle has signed a proclamation proclaiming that date as Lyons Small Business Saturday. You can learn more about Small Business Saturday by visiting www.smallbusinesssaturday.com. Several of our downtown Lyons businesses will be taking advantage of the promotion including Dobbin's Drugs and Gift Shop and Old Lyons Hardware. Both will offer an open house and will remain open until 7:30 pm. Stop by and sample available dip and soup mixes while browsing two of Lyons' best kept secrets.

 

This year the Lyons Girl Scouts will be offering Hot Cocoa and treats for sale at Newberry's while parents and kids visit with Santa Claus to help fund their trip to Washington DC for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Girl Scouts. Everything around us may be saying the economy isn't cooperating but remember the Grinch's revelation after he tried to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville - "...he thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"