Santa parade set for Dec. 2nd

Ken Johnston

Santa Claus is coming to town a bit earlier than Christmas, well at least in Rainy River!
The Rainy River and District Chamber of Commerce worked on its annual Christmas celebrations at a meeting last week.
December 2-4, 2005 will see a weekend filled with Christmas fun and great deals for shoppers.
The annual Santa Claus parade will take place on Friday, Dec. 2nd in the evening. Floats are now being registered with Chamber President Susan Carpenter (852-3343) and Rec. Dir. Monique Gall (852-4446).
Shoppers will also get a chance to win Rainy River Reindeer bucks. Starting Dec. 2nd every time a purchase is made at participating businesses, customers will get to enter for a draw to win Reindeer bucks the week before Christmas.
Also taking place on the Dec. 2-4 weekend, the chamber will be hosting a Christmas Cookie bake off. Local bakers will bring their best Christmas cookies to a competition where judges will say who has the best Christmas cookies in the area!
Plans are also in the works for a giant bake/craft sale.
A new chamber initiative will see its members adopting trees to decorate on Main Street. “There are 46 trees to decorate,” said President Carpenter. She is hoping each chamber member will adopt two trees. At the meeting Beaver Mills Market, RR Rec. Bd., RR Post Office, Border Service and the Covenant Church all volunteered to adopt two trees each. Anyone interested in doing so should call Susan Carpenter at 852-3343.
The annual town Christmas tree lighting will take place Dec. 2nd and after the parade, weather permitting Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit with kids on Main St. next to Gillons. Christmas goodies for the kids will be handed out there and Christmas Carols will be sang.
If the weather is not conducive to do it outside the RR Community Centre will serve as backup location.
A free skate with Santa will be held afterwards.
The chamber is also selling the RR Centennial Cookbooks as Christmas gifts. Another 500 were printed and about a fifth of them are gone already.
Watch the paper in the next few weeks as the details for all these events get firmed up.