Several local groups are preparing to fill the halls of St. Mareis with the sounds of the season.
Saturday is the second annual community Christmas concert. The St. Maries community band and community choir will perform. The concert features holiday tunes, sing-a-longs and a few special performances.
More than 60 local musicians will perform and organizers hope to surpass last year’s turnout of 300 people. The free concert begins at 6:30 p.m. at Heyburn Elementary gym and will last about an hour.
Other musical performances by the community musicians include:
Joint band and choir performance at 7 p.m. Monday (Dec. 17) in the atrium at Valley Vista.
Chorus Christmas Cantata at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 18) at the Eagles Lodge.
The final choral performance for the year is a second Christmas Cantata that begins at 5 p.m. Dec. 24 at the Presbyterian Church. There will not be a church service during the chorus’ performance.
Local students will offer several musical performances before Christmas.
Heyburn Elementary students will perform their annual Christmas concert at 1 p.m. Dec. 19 in the elementary gym.
The St. Maries Middle and High School bands will have their concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 in the high school gym.
Christmas, it’s the time of year when giving is most often in the forefront of our thoughts.
Giving is never more evident at the St. Maries Elks Lodge where the efforts of the entire community come together to ensure area families have a special meal and gifts for the children come Christmas day.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the program began, but St. Maries area residents confirm that the Elks have delivered Christmas baskets for more than 35 years.
It started with a pair of longtime residents who put together and distributed between 30 and 50 baskets during that first year. Within a short time it ballooned into a major production. Approximately 250 families have been recipients each Christmas in recent years.
Volunteers, both individuals and community organizations, donate year round to ensure the Elks Community Christmas Basket program is a success. And for the first year, under the direction of Mrs. Pat Davenport, more than a dozen area women have sewn pajamas and nightgowns for the children in the households receiving baskets.
Food, toys and smiles are abundant in St. Maries and the St. Maries Elks Lodge this time of year.
Still needing to buy that special gift for that special someone? You may want to take time Saturday to check out craft fairs at the
The annual UpRiver PTO’s community breakfast and craft fair is Saturday at the UpRiver School in Fernwood.
Breakfast, which includes biscuits and gravy with coffee or cocoa, will be served from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. It costs $4.
The craft fair will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature several vendors.
During the day, there will be Christmas caroling and the PTO is also sponsoring a paper and soap drive for the Fernwood Food Bank.
The Harrison PTO Craft Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Medimont Grange Hall on Harrison Flats. The event is sponsored by the PTO and the Medimont Grange.
It seems the busier we are, the faster the events and joys of everyday life pass us by. This is never truer than the Christmas season.
A great way to relax and enjoy the holidays is through the music of the season.
The DeColores Handbell Choir of Spokane will return to St. Maries for its third annual concert which has become a holiday tradition. The choir will perform at the Presbyterian Church at 3 p.m. Dec. 8. The concert is free.
Holiday music will be featured in the flutist duet performance by Carol Robinson and Jim Broyles at the St. Maries Public Library at 6 p.m. Dec. 10.
As the holidays draw nearer, the St. Maries community chorus and community band will gear up for their second annual performance.
The two groups will perform at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Heyburn Elementary gym.
“This is our big concert. We did it for the first time last year and it was great,” Mr. Broyles said.
The band and chorus will perform for the residents of Valley Vista in the atrium at 7 p.m. Dec. 17.
Once again, the chorus will perform its annual Christmas cantata at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Eagles Lodge.
The final performance of the cantata is planned for 5 p.m. Dec. 24 at the Presbyterian Church. The chorus will perform the Christmas cantata. There will not be a church service during the chorus’ performance.
So take some time, relax and enjoy some of the sounds of Christmas at one of these community events.
St. Maries kicks off the holiday season tomorrow with Christmas in St. Maries! Town will be bustling with craft fairs at the Eagles Lodge, the Grub Box and PACE Fitness. Area clubs and organizations will line the sidewalks of Main Avenue for the annual Holiday Stroll.
St. Maries River Railroad will provide tours of the proposed railroad touring cars expected to begin making excursions this summer. You can check out the passenger cars at the railroad station on 10th Street from 10AM to 2PM tomorrow.
The evening concludes with the annual Lighted Christmas Parade.
Be sure to attend the sixth annual BetterCARE Christmas Gala at the St. Maries Church of the Nazarene Sunday at 2 p.m.
Below is the complete list of events. Be sure to take part of the first events of the St. Maries holiday season.
2012 Christmas in St. Maries • Sat., Dec. 1
– All Day –
Craft fairs at the Eagle’s Lodge, Grub Box and PACE Fitness
Merchant sales and festivities at local businesses
– 10:00AM to 2:00PM –
Excursion trains open house at St. Maries Railroad on 10th Street
12:30PM – Santa’s Arrival on Main Avenue
1:00 to 5:00PM – Vendors on Main Avenue
– 1:00 to 4:00PM –
Horse-drawn wagon rides pick up and drop off at the Grub Box
Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Contest • Letters to Santa & Pictures with Santa at The Paperhouse
5:00PM – Lighted Christmas Parade
