STURGIS - The spirit of Christmas welcomed 300-plus Christmas goers to Deck the Streets and Santa’s Here to Greet special event in the downtown main street in Sturgis on Dec. 5. The event was sponsored by the Sturgis Recreation Board and kicked off with late-night shopping, a bonfire, roasted hotdogs, hot chocolate and horse drawn wagon rides. Lloyd Smith of Pelly provided the wagon rides with Shanna Lippert and Morgan Wallington doing the driving of the wagon and Carol and Dean Smith sponsored the wagon rides.
The highlight of the evening featured the arrival of Santa Claus via the Sturgis Volunteer Fire truck that was driven by Brad Secundiak. Other fun activities included a game of Christmas bingo and a scavenger hunt. The Crossroads Credit Union staff handed out treat bags and various other businesses helped in making the event a success. Christmas carollers added to the festive mood of the evening.
The Sturgis Park was once again decorated with lights as some businesses participated in decorating a camp site. Businesses and individuals who participated were: Karen and Walter Rose, Bernadette Babiuk and Mona Zubko, Dean Serdachny (FBN and Stoney Creek Ag), the Sturgis Recreation Board, Gateway Co-op Sturgis branch, Jamie’s Bobcat Services, Crosscuts Hair and Nail Studio, Living Faith and Word Church Inc., and Daniel Wasylenchuk donated the Christmas inflatables.
“Thank you to everyone that attended our Deck the Streets Santa's Here to Greet event on Main Street,” stated Andrea Sopel, Recreation Director. “The support from Sturgis and the surrounding community was once again overwhelming and so appreciated. Special thanks to all the volunteers, the businesses. Many thanks to the fire department for giving Santa a lift and of course Santa for making time in his busy schedule for us. A huge thank you goes out to Walter and Karen Rose for all the amazing decorations in town and the countless hours that goes into putting them in place,” she concluded.