Hometown Holidays Dec. 5

MILO — The town of Milo’s annual celebration, Milo’s Hometown Holidays, is happening on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Before Santa arrives at the Milo Town Hall, the Home Lighting and Business Lighting Contests will have already been held. Application forms and rules for both contests are available in the town hall lobby and at www.trcmaine.org. Applications for the contests will be due back at the town office by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30.

Judging will take place the evenings of Dec. 1-4 — please be sure Christmas displays are lit for the judging. There is no charge to participate in the lighting contests. Please have displays lit for the evening of Dec. 5 to add to the evening’s festivities. Contest winners will be announced at the celebration with Santa after 5:30 p.m.

Saturday’s events include “Breakfast with Santa” which will be held from 8-10 a.m. in the Penquis Valley School cafeteria. The Class of 2017 sponsors the breakfast and a monetary donation will support class projects.

The Park Street United Methodist Church is having its annual Christmas Fair from 9 a.m. to noon. A beef stew luncheon will be served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. The Christmas Fair will offer homemade food, cookie walk, candy, and fudge, homemade crafts, a men’s craft gift table, cards and utensils, and a nearly new items table.

From 4-7 p.m. while crafts and snacks are entertaining youngsters in the Milo Town Hall Dining Room, the Piscataquis Amateur Radio Club (PARC) is making possible the inaugural “Elves on the Air” for area children. Radios will be set up by PARC and operators will call to Santa’s Workshop at the North Pole giving children a chance to speak with a good elf working there.

Meanwhile Milo’s Hometown Holidays will welcome Santa to town with his very own parade which starts at 5 p.m. at American Legion Post 41. Riders on Santa’s float need to dress for the cold, with special attention to warm footwear. To participate in the parade just decorate and show up — no parade form needed. After the parade a lucky child will light the Milo Fire Department’s Community Christmas tree. There will be caroling at the tree after the lighting.

By 5:30 p.m. Santa should be settled in his chair in the town hall lobby to begin greeting children and hearing their Christmas wishes. Meanwhile others can enjoy the hayride which arrives and departs from the Milo Town Hall, continue with a craft activity, have a snack, or chat with one of Santa’s elves who will be busily working at his workshop.

Milo’s Hometown Holidays door prize will be Santa’s tree from his parade float. One entry per person for door prize.

The winners of the Home Lighting and Business Lighting Contests will be announced and door prize awarded before Santa leaves. The Business Lighting Contest winner will receive a decorated wall plaque recognizing their contest win for 2015. Home Lighting Contest winners will receive cash prizes for first and second place.

Weather permitting, at 7 p.m. there will be a bonfire at Harris Field on Elm Street.