Havre Beneath the Streets holding holiday stroll

Havre Beneath the Streets has again opened its doors for its annual Holiday Spirit Stroll Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

“We’ve decorated it for the holidays and you’ll be able to stroll through the underground and kind of get the holiday spirit,” Havre Beneath the Streets Office Manager Christy Owens said.

The Holiday Stroll is not a tour, she said, people will be able to walk through the rooms at their leisure. She added that each room will also have volunteers, staff members and board members to answer any questions people may have. 

“We have to, number one, thank our volunteers for helping with this event, ’cause this would not happen without the volunteers and community members that stepped up and helped out with this event,” she said.

The event is a good way for people to get into the holiday spirit, she said.

She added that many people are already getting into the holiday spirit with their shopping but the stroll is a good way to take a break from shopping and do something that is fun for the whole family. She said the Holiday Stroll has become a holiday tradition for some of the families in the area and she is happy to see them every year.

Tickets for the event are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 4 through 12 and is free for children three and younger.

Havre Beneath the Streets staff, with the help of a number of volunteers and staff members, have decorated each room of the Havre underground exhibits for the holidays and will have a number of things available for people during the stroll, Owens said. She said that the Holiday Stroll will have free samples of ice cream, provided by Gram’s Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe, available as well as free samples from a number of bakeries in the area.

She added that Beneath the Streets will also have a number of prizes and a scavenger hunt for children.

“It’s a fun family event,” Owens said.

They will also be providing something new this year, she said. During the tour people will also have a chance to purchase raffle tickets for gift baskets. The drawing will be held in the Bordello Room and all of the money raised by the raffle will go toward the Havre Beneath the Streets sidewalk fund. She added that volunteers, staff and board members will also have more information for people about how they can donate to the sidewalk fund.

Beneath the Streets is raising funds to make repairs to the sidewalk in front of the Havre Eagles Club, which has leaks which flooded into the museum’s mercantile, dentists office, post office and the auto shop rooms. The leaks were found at the beginning of this year and forced Beneath the Streets to close the exhibits. The sidewalk fund will be used to apply for a 2-to-1 matching tourism grant to make the needed repairs.

Owens added that the Eagles Club holds a burger feed every Thursday, with the proceeds going to the sidewalk fund.

People can also donate to the sidewalk fund at the Eagles Club, at Havre Beneath the Streets’ office or at Bear Paw Credit Union.

With the Bear Paw Credit Union Sidewalk Fund for Havre Beneath the Streets, people can either put their names on as a memo or remain anonymous. If people want a receipt for tax purposes they need to ask their teller.

Owens said that the Frank DeRosa Railroad Museum will also be running its trains in conjunction with the Holiday Stroll in a memorial run for Eldon Jesse Mooney. The event is free to the community, she added, and people should take time before or after going on the Holiday Stroll to check out the exhibit.

Mooney died Oct. 17. During his life he helped to get the Railroad Museum Pacific Junction Railway Club started in 1999. He designed the layout of the track on the upstairs floor of the museum with his wife, Barbara. They also helped finish the track on the downstairs level. He donated hundreds of hours of work to the model railway club and more to Havre Beneath the Streets.