In the heart of Sturgeon County just off Highway 2 sits Morinville, a festive town with a population of 10,000 that flings open its doors for the holidays. The 22nd annual Lite Up the Nite Festival once again features a town square lit with strings of sparkling lights, Christmas carols blaring, and crowds cheering while Santa's sleigh floats down main street. The three-day merry-making takes place Nov. 24 to 26. A Santa parade, a light-up ceremony with new decorations, spectacular fireworks, a magic show, a pancake breakfast and family skating are at the festival's core. In addition to the festive Yule atmosphere, compassion for families in need once again launches the celebrations. "We'll have a bus parked at No Frills on Friday morning to collect food for the food bank and in the afternoon it will be parked at Sobeys," said Kathleen Ducharme, Community Services cultural and events programmer. Last year the Fill-A-Bus collected 780 kilograms of food as well as $3,500. The winter party that attracts thousands swings into high gear on Saturday as the Lions host their traditional pancake breakfast at Morinville Rendezvous Centre from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. There is a door charge of $5 per person or $10 for a family of four. Over at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre, a free children's and youth festival runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Many in-demand children's and youth activities return: a letter booth to Santa, photos with Santa, tattoo table, a craft corner, carnival games and a bouncy castle. New this year is featured artist Tianna the Traveller, a world voyageur and street performer with a cheeky grin and an unusual collection of stories. Some of her unusual skills include hand-balancing, whip cracking and a ratchet strap escape act. "She's a female Indiana Jones escape artist that performs illusions. She does a lot of magic," Ducharme said. Tianna performs two 30-minute shows at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tucked at Morinville Community High School is the Farmers' Market Christmas Craft Fair where shoppers can browse through assorted specialty vendor booths and drop their Christmas spending money. The market takes place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Down the street at the Morinville Museum, staff and volunteers have organized an Old Fashioned Christmas Exhibit. It is open Wednesdays to Saturdays from noon to five p.m. until Jan. 3, 2018. The free activity contains an antique Teddy Bear display and gifts children would have received in bygone eras. The Morinville Public Library is hosting a silent auction and since it faces the 100 Avenue parade route, staff will serve free hot chocolate throughout the day. Saturday's centrepiece is Santa's parade with Mr. and Mrs. Claus waving to sidewalk-packed crowds. In addition to the Claus couple's North Pole inspired sleigh, the parade will have 19 floats. The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. travelling down 100 Ave. from 102 St. to 97 St. "I'm waiting to see what comes out this year. But I'm always amazed at the amount of people that line up in the cold. That's pretty important and says a lot about the town," said Ducharme. This year 117 volunteers have worked to prepare the festival. Although Ducharme did not have an estimate of people who line up for the parade, she stated that in 2016, the My Loft Float alone gave away 3,000 pieces of candy. The big ooh-and-ahh moment occurs when Mr. and Mrs. Claus flip the switch at St. Jean Baptiste Park to light up a majestic square of ancient trees, decorative light figurines and six new tree ornaments. "Public Works is in charge of the lighting up the park. They want to keep the decorations a secret. But I'm told the surprise will be pretty spectacular." Following the light-up ceremony, a dazzling fireworks display at Ray McDonald Sports Centre will explode throughout the night sky. The 20-minute pyrotechnics start at approximately 6:40 p.m. On Sunday, the festival takes on a more sedate pace with a free Family Fun Skate at Ray McDonald Sports Centre from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. In addition, the library hosts the Mother Tree Rhythm Drum Circle from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. "This is a very popular community wide event. It gets everybody out. There's not a cost to most events. And no matter how you celebrate the holiday season, this is a lot of fun." Ducharme added that if temperatures drop below minus 20 degrees C, the parade will be cancelled. However, the light-up ceremony at Jean Baptiste Park is still a go.
