Holiday events across the region start Thursday

The rest of this week and weekend will see a smattering of holiday events take place across the Hi-Line region, many of them decades-long traditions.

Thursday will be Havre and Chinook's community Thanksgiving dinners, long-running events with the goal of bringing people together for a free meal to enjoy each other's company.

"The spirit of the dinner is to bring our community together as one big extended family," Havre dinner Chair Debbie Rhines said.

Havre's dinner is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Jude Parish Center and will include a meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, buns, corn, pumpkin pie and all the associated relish options.

People who are homebound and cannot physically go to the dinner but would like a meal delivered can call North Central Montana Senior Citizens Center to make a reservation, at 406-265-5464 by 2 p.m. today, Nov. 22, at the latest.

The free dinner, funded completely by an anonymous donor, has been held in town for decades, with the only cancellation in its history due to COVID-19 in 2020. At its recent peak served over 800 meals.

Any food leftover will go Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen.

Chinook's dinner will start a little later, from noon to 1:30 p.m. and will feature a very similar meal, but with corn swapped out for green beans.

Dinner organizers have said they are trying to bring the dinner back to its roots and see more people physically come to the dinner, as their in-person attendance declined in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A community feel, that's what it was originally designed for," Chinook dinner organizer Betty Billmayer said.

The dinner has been held in Chinook since the '80s and has been a staple community event during the holidays, and Billmayer said she wants to bring as many people as possible together and get back more of the sense of community from the pre-pandemic era.

She said one of the things they are doing to try to boost in-person attendance is offering the chance to win door prizes from noon to 1:30 p.m.

She said they are still offering pick-up and deliveries of meals, and people can find request slips in local businesses, or they can call her at 406-357-4100.

Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Havre Elks Lodge #1201 will celebrate the holiday season with a craft show.

The Craft and Cocktails event features vendors and crafters, including home-based vendors, and a Ceasar bar will be available starting at 8 a.m.

Elks Lodge Secretary Brandy Kurtz, one of the organizers of the event, said they will have 14 or more different vendors and crafters filling three rooms of the building.

The lodge also will be hosting their 2023 Blanket Drive for Christmas along with its annual Veterans Giving Tree.

If people would like to register themselves, their family, friends or someone in need of blankets, comforters, sheets, etc. they can call Kurtz at 406-390-0091. The next distribution is Dec. 13 in the Havre Elks lodge room.

This year the Elks are adding a coat drive to the mix. Clean, used coats for kids, adults and babies can be dropped off at Western Trailer Sales 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or at Havre Elks Lodge 5-8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The veterans giving tree is a way for Havre Elks Lodge to give back for the holiday season to those who served their country.

Tags are hung on a tree, after veterans fill out a form letting people know what they want or need for Christmas. Anyone or group can pick a tag off the tree, get the items, and return thenwrapped or unwrapped, to be put under the tree. Dec. 14, lodge members will deliver the Christmas gifts to the veterans.

People who would like to know how to sign up a veteran up or adopt a veteran can call 406-390-0091 to speak with Kurtz.

Also Friday, Chinook will be holding its Parade of Lights and Festival of Wreaths, a communitywide holiday celebration that has events all day.

The day begins with the opening of businesses in town. First Bank of Montana is hosting the Festival of Wreaths again this year, and people can come in for viewing and bidding on the decorated wreaths from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bank will also have the Bell Choir performing 2-4 p.m.

The Blaine County Museum, 501 Indiana St., is having its Holiday Elf Hunt, starting at 9 a.m.

Vendors offering crafts and commercial products will be set up at the Chinook Senior Center, and the Blaine County Library, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Santa Claus will also be at the library, 1-4 p.m., to talk to the children and take photos.

For anyone in search of hot beverages and food, Chinook Pharmacy, Shores Floral and Prairie Pieces will have hot beverages all day. The Eagles Club is selling tacos starting at 11 a.m. The Pool and Park Foundation is having a soup feed fundraiser at Wallner Hall 4-8 p.m.

Hot chocolate, cookies and pork on a stick will be sold at Bear Paw Saloon starting at 5 p.m. and JUMP Chinook is selling cotton candy at Wallner Hall all day.

The Parade of Lights, an annual draw to this celebration, is lining up at 5:30 p.m. in front of Meadowlark Elementary School, and heads down Indiana Street at 6 p.m. This year, prizes will be awarded for Most Christmassy Float, Float with the Brightest Lights and Funniest Float.

While the parade is considered the highlight of the day, the celebration continues with cookies, hot chocolate and a Christmas program and caroling at Chinook Alliance Church after the parade.

Saturday will be absolutely packed with events in Havre, most of them taking place in Town Square later in the day, organized by the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber will be hosting this year's CommUNITY Tree Lighting, where St. Nick will flip the switch on the town's Christmas tree, an event that has taken place in Havre for years. It is set to start at 5:30 p.m. in Town Square, followed by Holiday prize drawings.

Before the tree lighting United Way of Hill County will be selling hot chocolate, the local Boy Scouts will be selling popcorn, and the Chamber will be selling Frito Chili Boats starting at 5 p.m. when Santa is set to arrive.

Chamber Executive Director Shelli Sayers said they will be giving away super certificates for people who bought buttons for the CommUNITY Holiday Stroll earlier that day, and they will also have prize baskets available for children.

After the tree lighting and prize drawings will be this year's Rudolph Run, a one-mile fun run starting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Square.

Registration begins at 6 p.m. Costumes and lights are encouraged.

Cape Air and NorthWestern Energy are sponsoring the Tree Lighting and Rudolph Run, as well as the Holiday Stroll.

The Havre Jaycees will also be offering free hay rides at Town Square at 2 p.m.

While Town Square will be the center of most events going on that day, there will be plenty of other events going on around town, including the Black Saturday Vendor Sale at the Atrium Mall and family portraits at the Q Events Center with BriCo Creative. Holiday wagon rides will be offered by Jack and Patti Solomon to people who call the Havre-Hill County Library to reserve a spot for the rides.

Among those holiday events will also be the Havre Beneath the Streets Spirit Stroll Saturday.

The displays will be decorated for the holidays and no reservation is necessary. People can stroll at their own pace and have a treat or two as they visit the displays decorated by volunteers.

The stroll runs Saturday 1-4 p.m. and costs $5 for adults, $3 for children 4-12 and free for children 3 and younger.

For more information, people can call 406-265-8888.

Entries for the Gingerbread House Competition will be on display at Ruff Real Estate that day until the winner is announced after the Christmas tree lighting.

Entries were submitted by Nov. 20, and community members will have the chance to vote on which houses they think are the best in each of four categories - 3-6 years old, 7-12 years old, 13-18 years old, and 19 and older.

The latter two groups are not allowed to use kits to make their houses, but all will have been decorated by their creators.

The winner in each category will receive a $25 Havre Chamber Gift Certificate.

Saturday will also be kickoff for this year's expanded Holiday Stroll, with participating businesses around Havre prepared to engage in this community treasure hunt.

The Holiday Stroll itself, an event to promote local commerce, begins that day and will last through Dec. 22 with participating local businesses putting up prizes for the eagle-eyed store-goers.

People looking to participate in the hunt can buy a numbered button from the Havre Chamber of Commerce or from participating businesses and can search for their number, hidden in plain sight somewhere in these businesses for a prize.

Buttons are $2 and will be available at places like Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods, 406 Custom Auto & Sound, Big Sky Soul, Ben Franklin's, Hometown Plaza and more.

Chamber Director Shelli Sayers said the event is meant to raise awareness about local business, and let people know just how much is available in town.

Buttonholders will be eligible for prize drawings throughout the season, including the drawings at the tree lighting Saturday.

Unlike previous strolls that took place over one day, this one will be a bit more spread out, she said, to give people and businesses more of a chance to participate.

Participating businesses are Montana Country Boutique, Simply Natural and Health Connections, Lost Arrow Designs, PJ's Restaurant & Casino, Northern Home Essentials, Gram's Ice Cream & Candy Shoppe, Cottonwood Cinema, Grace & Grit Coffee Co., Big Sky Soul, 406 Custom Auto & Sound, Hometown Plaza, Taco Treat, Northstar Athletics and Bearly Square Quilting so far.

Sayers said she wanted to thank Simply Natural and Health Connections, and Grace & Grit Coffee Co. for sponsoring the event along with Cape Air and NorthWestern Energy.

But Havre isn't the only place with a packed Saturday schedule, so is Big Sandy.

The Big Sandy Christmas Stroll set to run all day, set to the theme of Christmas Candy Land.

Displays and activities are planned throughout the community all day, including a visit by Santa who will be coming to town to have breakfast with the children of the area.

A community craft show is scheduled at the community hall from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., along with art work from local students.

Cabins decorated by locals have been on display at First Bank of Montana in preparation for being auctioned off Saturday.

Also at First Bank of Montana are the prizes for the winning buttons that are on sale in the community. Sale of the buttons funding the purchase of prizes for next year. Buttons are being sold at locations including Agri-Prairie Insurance, Big Sandy Library, Big Sandy Pharmacy, The Grocery Store, Hair I Am and The Senior Center.

Elevated Grains Bakery will offer the chance to make an ornament and some hot cocoa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Big Sandy Library will show Christmas movies, hold a raffle and offer crafts at the same time.

The Mint, Peps and The Club will be offering adults special holiday cocktails. People can vote for their favorite drink for a chance to win a gift certificate to the bar that wins the drink competition.

The holiday events culminate in the Big Sandy Parade of Lights with the theme Christmas Memories and floats entered having the chance to win a cash prize.

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Tim Leeds, Pamela Burke and Christy Bambrough contributed to this story.