The 18th annual Downtown for the Holidays is set to fill the streets of downtown Pascagoula with holiday spirit on Dec. 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. Join Main Street and the City of Pascagoula to celebrate the season with this free community event. Downtown for the Holidays began as a way to get people downtown to shop, but over the years, it has evolved into a larger community event – one focused on creating family traditions. “You see people you haven’t seen in years, like former school teachers, parents of your friends, your friends from 100 years ago. It’s like a family reunion without the drama,” Rebecca Davis, Main Street director, said with a laugh. “I think it is time for Pascagoula to stake a claim, tell her story and sing her song, and with this event, you get a little of all of this.”
People still come to shop, but now there are so many more activities to enjoy. These include carriage and Radio Flyer wagon rides, face painting, photo opportunities, a miniature Christmas town, a walk-through nativity at Christ Lutheran Church and Christmas trees decorated by local school children that are displayed in Santa’s Village. This year, Santa will ride in on a motorcycle, and he will be in attendance at the event all night. The night also hosts a Christmas parade that will be riding through downtown at 8 p.m. The parade marshal is Jo Ann Christopher of the Studio of Dance and Gymnastics in Pascagoula – who brought “The Nutcracker” to Pascagoula 40 years ago, according to Davis. Also as part of the evening, there will be entertainment provided by local school choirs, dance studios and churches on the main stage located at City Centre – formally the Hancock Bank parking lot across from Johnson Bros).
The 41st annual Christmas Tree lighting will also occur, which will be the second year combining these holiday events with the downtown event. Davis said Downtown for the Holidays wouldn’t happen without the support of the community in many ways. “There are so many that come together to help, whether it is monetarily or in kind,” Davis said. “We are very blessed in this respect. I am blessed to have had the most wonderful help throughout the years and I want to say ‘thank you’ to my community, whom I love so much! May each of them have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year with lots of blessings.”
Downtown for the Holidays is sponsored by Main Street Pascagoula and The City of Pascagoula. Main Street Pascagoula can be reached at 219-1114. You can also find the event on Facebook.
