Sertoma Club Prepares For Annual Christmas Lighted Parade
(Le Mars) — Several holiday events are scheduled for this weekend in Le Mars, one of them is the annual Christmas Lighted Parade. In recent years, the Le Mars Sertoma Organization has taken over the duties of coordinating the festive event. Joel Johnson, is a past president of the Sertoma Club. He says this year’s parade promises to be as colorful as those from the past.
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Parade entries are still being accepted, and Johnson says the Sertoma Club would like to have parade entries begin to line up on 8th Street Blvd between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. with the parade to start promptly at 6:00 p.m. Johnson says anyone can place an entry in the parade.
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The annual lighted Christmas parade got its start back in 1997.
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Johnson says the Christams Lighted Parade is one of those events that people look forward to seeing. He says it serves as the community kick-off for the Christmas holiday season.
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The Sertoma Club leader says the parade will feature many of the traditional lighted floats and entries, as well as several new lighted floats.
The Christmas Lighted Parade is scheduled for Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. and will travel north on Central Avenue past Foster Park, and continuing through downtown.
Pioneer Village Christmas To Be Featured This Weekend
(Le Mars) — Another Christmas tradition for Le Mars is the annual Pioneer Village Christmas held at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds. More than 50 Christmas trees that are decorated by area businesses and organizations will be featured in Century Hall, along with entertainment. There will be horse-drawn wagons in which attendees can enjoy a ride around the fairgrounds. Plus the famous Round Barn will be filled with hundreds of the different Christmas ornaments, lights, exhibits, inflatables, and Christmas lawn displays. Pioneer Village Christmas is open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday evening. It will also be featured again next weekend, December 12th and 13th.
Plymouth County Historical Museum To Hold Open House On Sunday
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Historical Museum in Le Mars will hold its open house on Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. People are urged to visit the museum’s Study Hall to witness the hundreds of nativity scenes that are featured in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The “Museum Manger” exhibit will is on display now through January 10th.
St. John’s Lutheran Church To Feature “Bethlehem Revisited” On Sunday
(Le Mars) — The basement of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Le Mars will transform into the town of Bethlehem on Sunday afternoon as more than 300 volunteers help with the production of “Bethlehem Revisited”. Dr. Becky DeRyter of Le Mars serves as one of the co-chairs for the much anticipated event. She says the event is more than a “live nativity scene”.
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DeRyter says people will then traverse through the city of Bethlehem.
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The event coordinator says following the city the attendees will be lead to the fields where the shepherds keep watch over their flock of sheep, until they reach the stable.
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DeRyter says the Lutheran church puts on the large production only once every five years. She, her husband, and the other co-chairs Dr. Greg Jenery and his wife began planning for the event more than a year in advance. She says this last month is when the church volunteers came to “build Bethlehem”.
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DeRyter says the church basement will have live animals which adds to the authenticity for the production.
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There is free admission to the “Bethlehem Revisited” production, and the hours it will be operating are from 12:00 noon until 6:00 p.m. DeRyter says attendees should be able to pass through the interactive live exhibit within 45 minutes.
