Dickens Christmas Festival brings spirit to downtown Mount Pleasant Friday
The Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge and Santa Claus will roam downtown Mount Pleasant on Friday as a part of the Dickens Christmas Festival.
The celebration is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday with horse-drawn carriage rides for $5 and free trolley rides.
Central Michigan University’s a capella group On the Rox will perform from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in front of Downtown Drugs, 121 E. Broadway St.
“We love doing anything for the community and we all love the holidays,” said On the Rox President and Big Rapids senior Nicole Bouman.
The group also will walk up and down the street, caroling traditional Christmas songs and taking requests.
“We would like to get everyone singing with us,” Bouman said.
Saturday’s events will begin at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast for $6 a person or free for children younger than 4 years old.
“The pancake breakfast is all you can eat, so people love it,” said Mount Pleasant Downtown Development Director Michelle Sponseller.
The festivities will continue all Saturday until 9 p.m.
“There will be everything from carolers in the street to baking cookies,” Sponseller said.
Four “Santa’s Workshop” stations will be set up for children in the afternoon. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., they can decorate cookies at Max and Emily’s Bakery Cafe, 125 E. Broadway St., or make crafts at the Art Reach Center, 319 S. University Ave. From noon to 4:30 p.m., they can get their faces painted at Murphy’s Beauty College, 201 W. Broadway St., or get free classes all afternoon at the Vision Studio of Performing Arts, 131 E. Broadway St.
At night, downtown will come to life with the Lighted Christmas Parade at 6 p.m.
“The Lighted Christmas Parade is very big,” Sponseller said. “Everything is lit up and it’s wonderful.”
Every year, they pick a group to feature as the grand marshal of the parade and, this year, it is Toys for Tots.
Free hay rides will be offered Saturday night, along with more horse-drawn carriage rides. There will be free hot chocolate stations set up throughout the area.
