The small town of Helper comes alive during the Christmas season with the Annual Christmas Town Celebration. This year will mark the 34th year for a pretty amazing holiday attraction that has become a tradition for many families in the Castle Country area.
There will be a Luminary Memorial held at Helper City Cemetery on Nov. 29 at 6:30 pm. This is open to anyone who has lost a loved one and would like to remember them during the holiday season. “We have the Luminary Memorial Service at the Helper City Cemetery, it’s a really great event. People gather, they talk, it’s just a sense of community, and it’s a time to remember the loved ones that have passed and people seem to really enjoy it,” said Parade Coordinator, Mark Montoya. Guests will be able to purchase a luminary for for their loved ones during the event, with all proceeds going towards the fireworks display that will be held on Saturday night.
On Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2 there will be a chili dinner held at the Helper Civic Auditorium from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. “If you want to go in and get warm before the parade starts, go have some amazing chili, the amazing kielbasa from R&A Market. Brenda’s chili is homemade, it’s not out of the can, so if you haven’t had the chili, you’re missing out. Come and experience that,” said Montoya. It’s just another one of the many fundraisers that helps fund the annual fireworks display on Saturday night.
The annual Electric Light Parade kicks off at 7:00 pm both Friday and Saturday night on Helper’s Historic Main Street. “Friday night is our first night of the parade. It’s the night we have our judging of the parade for the different categories and the first, second and third place. You can win money, people don’t realize that you can win money, first place is $250.00, second place is $200.00 and third place is $150.00. So it’s a good way to earn a little extra cash if you can get creative with your float,” said Montoya. It’s free to enter a float, interested individuals can download the parade application from the Helper City website and also review the parade guidelines. Guests should keep in mind that on Saturday following the parade there will be a Christmas Fireworks Show choreographed to music on KRPX 95.3 FM The Peak.
Don’t forget that on Saturday morning children are invited to the Helper Civic Auditorium from 8:00 am to 11:00 am to have Breakfast with Santa. “Yeah, we start our morning, early in the morning at 8:00 am with Breakfast with Santa. It’s another opportunity for the kids to come give their Christmas wish list to Santa. It seems to be an event that’s just growing, it’s amazing how many people come and you can spend some time with Santa – get some breakfast, take pictures. There’s no rush, so there’s no line, you kind of just go around. If you want to eat first, then see Santa or vice versa, either way, it’s just becoming a really fun event,” said Montoya.
To see the entire schedule of Helper Utah’s Christmas Town Celebration visit the Facebook page.