Assortment of Holiday events set for Saturday

Saturday will see a bevy of Christmas events coming back to Havre, including the annual Christmas Tree Lighting and a number of events at the Holiday Village Mall.

Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julea Robbins said the mall will be hosting a vendor show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring more stalls than any year before.

Robbins said it’s a great opportunity for people to do Christmas shopping, whether at the booths, or at the mall’s various shops.

From noon to 2 p.m. the mall will also be hosting Cookies and Books with Santa, organized by the Chamber, where children can have their picture taken with St. Nick, and take home a free cookie and book.

“It’s a fun thing for the kids to do while parents might be going around seeing all the vendors,” Robbins said.

Also in the mall, she said, from 1 to 3 p.m., the H. Earl Clack Museum will be holding Dinosaur Christmas, featuring arts, crafts and cookie decorating for children.

In Town Square at 3 p.m. the SubZero Superhero Polar Plunge will take place as well.

The event is organized by the Havre Police Department and proceeds will go to Special Olympics Montana.

From 3 to 5 p.m., Robbins said, the Hi-Line Arts Council will be putting on live music at the Downtown Art Alley, between Third and Fourth avenues and Second and Third streets.

At 5 p.m. Town Square will host the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, an event which had to be held virtually last year due to the pandemic.

Robbins said this year the square has more trees and lights up than ever and is poised to be a fun event.

“It’ll be bigger than ever, which is awesome,” she said.

The lighting will be followed by the Chamber’s Super Certificate Giveaway.

Robbins said sign-ups for the giveaway have been sent out in Havre Daily News for the past few weeks and can be turned in at the Chamber, the Holiday Village Mall, The Atrium and the Havre Daily office by Friday.

She said winners will have to be at the lighting to win.

After the giveaway, she said, they will host a short Glow Run which will begin at the west end of Town Square and will go down Third Avenue to Seventh Street then back down Fourth Avenue and end at the east end of the square.

Robbins said prizes are available for the first male and female runners across the finish line, and for the best dressed.

She said they’re encouraging people to wear holiday-themed costumes, and ugly Christmas sweaters are acceptable.

She said they have 30 people signed up and will still be taking sign-ups the day of, though same-day registrees will not receive a T-shirt.

Robbins encouraged people to stay after the lighting to cheer runners on, as it will be a fairly short race of only about a mile.

Finally that day, from 5 to 7 p.m. a Live Nativity drive-through event at the Van Orsdel United Methodist Church will take place, she said.

People will drive through the location, starting on the north end of the alley behind the church, to see the people and animals, portraying the Nativity.

Robbins said she’s glad to see these events go on, as many had to be abbreviated or canceled due to the pandemic, especially the Chamber’s own tree lighting.

“I forgot how much work it is, putting all of this together, but it’s really wonderful. It’s great to see the community back out,” she said. “The tree lighting last year just wasn’t the same, I’m glad we were able to do something, but we’re hoping that this is back to stay.”