The Kimmswick Merchants Association will sponsor a number of events over the next two months to celebrate the holiday season.
First up will be Deer Widows Weekend set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Nov. 11-13.
Those who turn out that weekend and donate canned food items or make a monetary donation at the Kimmswick Visitor Center, 314 Market St., will receive a shopping passport that includes discount deals for participating businesses and restaurants. The proceeds are distributed to area food pantries, said Betteanne Smith, a Kimmswick Merchants Association member and owner of Mississippi Mud Gallery and Gifts.
“It is always a great weekend,” Smith said. “We get a lot of girl weekends happening. It all started when some customers told us 13 years ago that they were having a deer widows weekend, and we were like, ‘What a great idea. We are doing this.’”
Christmas Open House and Parade
The Christmas season officially starts in Kimmswick on Saturday, Nov. 19, with the annual Christmas Open House and Parade.
Businesses and restaurants will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the town will be decked out with Christmas decorations and luminaries lit up along Hwy. K.
Parade participants are asked to assemble at 10 a.m. in the Windsor Elementary School parking lot, 6003 Fifth St., in Kimmswick. The parade will start at 11 a.m. with participants marching on Market Street to the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, 6116 Second St., and then turning around and walking along Elm Street back to the school, Smith said.
“We try to march on the main roads and past most of our merchants and restaurants,” Smith said.
She said the Windsor High School band will lead the procession, and Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will travel in a horse-drawn trolly at the end of the parade line.
“We normally have about 20 different organizations and individuals participate in the parade,” Smith said. “A lot of our merchants walk or have a float, the Historical Society participates and there are antique cars,” she said. “The parade lasts about 30 minutes."
After the parade, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be available for free photos from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the Santa House located near the corner of Front and Market streets. Participants will need to take their own pictures, Smith said.
At 4:45 p.m., Santa Claus will light the Christmas tree near the Visitor Center, and he and Mrs. Claus will again be available for photos at the Santa House, from 7:30-9 p.m.
Free horse-drawn trolley rides provided by Nobleshire Carriages of Millstadt, Ill., will be available from 2-8 p.m. with pickups and drop-offs at The Christmas Haus, 311 Elm St., and near the corner of Second and Market streets.
Rivertown Sound Quartet will perform throughout the day until 8 p.m.
“This started 25 or 30 years ago, and it has been a tradition,” Smith said. “It started as a thank you to our customers. It is the first time we light our luminaries on Hwy. K. We are all very geared up for our kickoff to the holiday season.”
Shop Small Saturday
Many of Kimmswick’s business and restaurants will take part in Shop Small Saturday, offering special deals from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26.
The event started in 2010, and it is championed nationally by American Express, Smith said.
“It is what Kimmswick is. We are a hometown place with family-owned businesses,” she said. “It is an opportunity to thank customers with special offers. It is gratifying because we get so many people who come and say, ‘I made a point to come to Kimmswick because I want to support local business.’”
Old Fashioned Christmas Festival and Kimmswick Cookie Walk
The Old Fashioned Christmas Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.
The Kimmswick Cookie Walk is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, as well as 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.
Only 1,000 tickets, which cost $35, will be sold for the Cookie Walk. Those ticket holders will receive a holiday cookbook with recipes submitted by 27 business owners, a gift bag and a map to participating businesses and restaurants that will hand out “sweet treats.”
Smith said the tickets sell out fast, so those interested in buying them should call the Kimmswick Visitor Center at 636-464-6464 for availability.
As of Oct. 28, about 500 of the 1,000 tickets had been sold, Smith said.
“When we started it was small, and it just kind of took off,” she said. “People come every year and have made it part of their family tradition.”
At the event, businesses and restaurants will remain open later than usual on Dec. 2-3, and there will be photo opportunities with Santa Clause at Santa House on Dec. 3-4.
Smith said people may call the Visitor Center to see what times Santa Claus will be available, and they will need to take their own pictures.
The Rivertown Sound Quartet also will perform throughout the town from 5-8:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and noon-3 p.m. Dec. 4.
Kimmswick Elf on The Shelf
Smith said the town’s Elf on the Shelf, which is for children, started four years ago.
It will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 10-11, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17-18. Tickets for the event cost $10, and participants will receive a story book, elf guide and gift bag.
Smith said 300 tickets are available at gokimmswick.com or the Visitor Center. She said 250 tickets were sold last year.
“There are 27 elves hidden in participating businesses and restaurants,” she said. “Children who find the elf, tell an employee at the participating business where the elf is located to receive a treat.”
Donations of unwrapped toys to be distributed to area families will be collected at the Visitor Center with each donor receiving a $5 gift card that may be used at participating businesses.
For information about any of the upcoming events, go to gokimmswick.com or call 636-464-6464.