Lisbon prepares for ‘Small Town Christmas’

LISBON -- Santa Claus is coming to downtown Lisbon Saturday to usher in the Christmas season with a parade, a tree lighting at the gazebo on the square and a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

"I'm excited to get the holidays going. I think it's a great tradition," Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angela Benner said about the upcoming event.

Small Town Christmas is this year's theme for the annual parade which steps off at 4:45 p.m. at McKinley Elementary School on Pritchard Avenue, then travels west on Lincoln Way and ends at Beaver Street. The chamber sponsors the parade overseen by Lori Swick-Sweeney, chair of the parade committee.

The parade this year features 60 units, from the Lisbon High School Marching Band to horses and floats and other marchers from various community groups, the school and businesses. Kristen Huston of Almost Perfect Foundation and Resale will serve as the grand marshal. Prizes will be given for various categories, including best float.

After the parade, Benner said the tree lighting and Christmas lights ceremony will take place along with a meet and greet featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Barborak family will provide free hot cocoa and cookies for everyone on the square.

Prior to the parade at 4 p.m., the Keller family will perform a Christmas pageant on the gazebo.

Benner praised the Downtown Beautification Committee for the great job with the downtown decorations, which were put up over several weeks. Steve D'Apolito of D'Apolito Tree Farm of Lisbon donated the live Colorado Blue Spruce tree for the gazebo.

Also part of the downtown decorations will be the Snowmen on the Square, a project completed by the Lisbon David Anderson Engineering Concepts class as a community service project. The class created the snowmen to attach to parking meters in the downtown, with groups or citizens paying $45 for a snowman to decorate.

"Downtown Lisbon is like a Hallmark card and every year it just gets better and better," Mayor Peter Wilson said. "All the downtown lights and decorations are provided for with donations from the community and put up and maintained by volunteers."

He said it's a great kick-off for the holidays and invited community members to come and enjoy the event. Even the Clerk of Courts office in the downtown courthouse gets into the spirit, changing the lights in the windows to match the holidays.

The day will kick off with the Lisbon Police Department's annual Stuff A Cruiser event from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lisbon Dollar General on Rose Drive where officers will be collecting new unwrapped toy donations to help the Under Wraps program with Serenity's Way. Donation boxes have already been in the store.

During this week's village council meeting, council gave permission for Tina Cutright of Reflections of Time Photography to post signs on the square Saturday and Sunday to advertise professional Christmas portraits will be taken on the square at the gazebo from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. According to the sign, a choice of print packages or digital images will be available.

Just as a reminder, Councilwoman Dawn Thomas announced that the Lisbon Fire Department will host free Photos with Santa at the fire station on Jefferson Street from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 10, with cookies and hot chocolate served. Families will receive a free 4-inch by 6-inch photo printed on site. Residents are also invited to bring an unwrapped new toy to donate for this year's Under Wraps program.

During their meeting, council members and Lisbon officials accepted a new holiday banner from Mary Beth Boso to hang in village hall. Boso distributes the banners to businesses also to hang in their windows.