Alton Main Street will host an event Friday that’s sure to get participants into the holiday spirit.
The 25th annual Community Tree Lighting at Lincoln-Douglas Square will begin at 6 p.m. with the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus on the trolley. The free festivities, including caroling, cookies and hot cocoa, will continue until 6:45 p.m., when Mayor Brant Walker flips the lights on the beautiful tree, provided by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club. Families are encouraged to bring cameras to take pictures with Santa and costumed holiday characters.
Girl Scout troops and the Resound Worship Team from Main Street United Methodist Church will provide songs throughout the evening. Amy Brooks, minister at First Unitarian Church of Alton, will bless the tree. Other speakers include Rotary Club President Tim Heinrichs and Salvation Army Lts. Steven and Lily Reinier, who will be kicking off the Tree of Lights campaign with 2019 Chairpeople John and Jayne Simmons. The master of ceremonies for this community event will be Trish Holmes, director of member services for the RiverBend Growth Association.
Visitors can check out the Salvation Army’s Big Red Kettle during the event, and the public is encouraged to help the less fortunate by bringing canned food donations to benefit the Salvation Army food pantry. The items will be constructed into a giant Castle of Cans at the foot of the Lincoln and Douglas statues during the event.
The Madison County Child Advocacy Center will help children create a holiday craft to take home, as well as passing out festive treats for the season.
Free trolley transportation will be provided from 5:30-7:30 p.m. between Lincoln-Douglas Square and the Riverbender.com Community Center, 200 W. Third St. Following the tree-lighting, the public is invited to the community center’s Holiday Open House to play games, make crafts, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and warm up with refreshments indoors until 10 p.m. New this year, free horse and carriage rides will be offered, departing from the corner of Third and Belle streets from 7-9 p.m. Families can enter a drawing for three people to ride in the carriage with Santa from the square to the community center at 7 p.m. by posting their favorite photo from a prior tree lighting — details on how to enter can be found at facebook.com/AltonMainStreet.
The public is encouraged to make a night of it and enjoy the fun activities in the district while patronizing downtown merchants and restaurants for their holiday shopping and dining. Find more information on the many ways the Alton Main Street is working to promote and advance the historic district, as well as ways to get involved on their website.
Alton Main Street would like to thank the following sponsors who have made this event possible:
CNB Bank & Trust, Illinois American Water, Simmons Hanly Conroy, Alton Memorial Hospital, Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery, Argosy Casino, Busey Bank, Republic Services, Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, Merle Norman Cosmetics Salon and Spa, Droege & Associates, State's Attorney Tom Gibbons, Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe, Representative Monica Bristow, Altonized Community Credit Union, Midwest Members Credit Union, 1st Mid-America Credit Union, Roberts Motors, The Firehouse Bar, SIHF Healthcare, Riverbender.com, The Telegraph, WBGZ Radio, and AdVantage.
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