#holidays-2020

Lobstering community continues tradition of giving away free lobsters Christmas Eve
Fri, 12/25/2020 - 10:00am

THOMASTON—On Thursday, Dec. 24, a crowd of 30-40 people gathered in a line at noon, plastic bags in hand, in an empty parking lot off New County Road. Standing at the back of his pick up truck, Matinicus lobsterman Noah Ames played the proverbial role of Santa, giving away crates of live lobster for free that he and about six other Midcoast lobstermen caught, banded, and transported so that people in the area could have a good Christmas Eve dinner. During an unprecedented Christmas season, with...
Tracking the sleigh: five billion presents already delivered
Out with the grim and in with some joy... NORAD tracks Santa through Maine
Thu, 12/24/2020 - 10:45pm

The U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command, in collaboration with Canadian tracking teams, are on their game at this very moment, tracking Santa Claus, as he and his reindeer make their way from the North Pole, and around the globe. Around 10:50 p.m., Santa made his way through Maine — with NORAD confirming his sighting in Brunswick and Augusta — as he inched closer to 5.6 billion gifts delivered. Track Santa live here, with the latest technology....
A quiet ringing of bells in Camden, Christmas Eve
Thu, 12/24/2020 - 7:00pm

It was short, simple and peaceful. The churches of Camden — Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic — rang their bells at 4 p.m., Dec. 24. A gesture of hope and goodwill in challenging times, the churches rang their bells in unison, and in conjunction with the lighting of the beautiful Camden Star atop Mt. Battie. The participating churches include Chestnut Street Baptist Church; First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ; John Street United Methodist Church; Our Lady...
Send us your signals of hope and brighter days ahead
Light it up! Midcoast goes large with holiday cheer
Thu, 12/24/2020 - 11:00am

Residents and business owners are spreading warmth and good cheer in their own creative and enterprising ways. We appreciate the peaceful cloak of winter, and rejoice in the lightness of the holidays to carry us through the darker months. Send us your own photos of lights that are bringing magic to your downtowns, villages and neighborhoods and we will collect them here.
Camden churches to ring bells in unison, 4 p.m., Christmas Eve
Thu, 12/24/2020 - 7:30am

To help spread joy and hope in these challenging times, local Camden churches will be ringing their bells in unison at 4 p.m. , Christmas Eve, December 24. This will be done in conjunction with the lighting of the beautiful Camden Star atop Mt. Battie. The participating churches include Chestnut Street Baptist Church; First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ; John Street United Methodist Church; Our Lady of Good Hope Roman Catholic Parish; and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Together,...
Rep. Doudera’s ‘Travolta’ holiday novella generates funds for two charities
Wed, 12/23/2020 - 4:00pm

On Tuesday, United Midcoast Charities and Midcoast Habitat for Humanity received holidays gift from author and State Representative Vicki Doudera when she presented them with checks totaling $2,500. The money is the net proceeds from sales of Doudera’s novella, Looking For Travolta: A Ghost Story of Christmas. The story is a modern Maine retelling of Dickens’ famous A Christmas Carol , set in a fictional town bearing an uncanny resemblance to Camden. Inspiration for the book...
‘He can come down the chimney, he can leave the presents, he can leave, and you have nothing to worry about’
‘Santa Claus is good to go’: Dr. Fauci confirms he vaccinated Santa, clears Santa for worldwide travel
Mon, 12/21/2020 - 4:30pm

NORTH POLE — Perhaps the number one question on children’s minds this week with Christmas approaching is whether it is safe for Santa to make millions of stops around the world with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In Maine alone, would it be safe for Santa, and Mainers themselves, for him to climb down chimneys around a state with more than 7,800 active cases? Or even across the Midcoast which has a combined 313 cases across Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties? Thankfully, the answer is yes because...
Santa to ride around Searsport today, starting at 11 a.m.
Sat, 12/19/2020 - 5:45am

SEARSPORT — Santa is coming to Searsport this weekend. He is going to be riding around, escorted by the Searsport Fire Department on December 19 starting at 11 a.m. The escort fire truck will be on every road with lights and siren on. They will start on the East side of town on Route 1 and side roads. Then the West and next up Mt Ephraim Road and North Searsport Roads. Lastly, they will cross Old County Road and do Brock Road, Back Searsport Road and Prospect Street. Also of note, Christmas...
Sock pile grows to dwarf store’s owner as annual drive wraps up
Belfast’s Colburn Shoe Store amasses thousands of socks for those in need
Fri, 12/18/2020 - 7:30pm

BELFAST — As Christmas draws closer, shoppers searching for last-minute holiday treats and treasures will see a curious sight in the window of Belfast’s Colburn Shoe Store, on Main Street. While one window is decorated in typical holiday fashion, the other is filled with thousands of socks. Roughly 4,000 pairs have made a pile so mighty the store’s owner, Colby Horne, is dwarfed by them. Colburn’s, the oldest shoe store in America whose doors opened in 1832, was approached by United Way to...
send a card to someone in need of holiday cheer
Belfast Area students’ Liberian Education Fund holds card fundraiser
Wed, 12/16/2020 - 1:30pm

Belfast Chapter of the Liberian Education Fund has submitted the following: Tis’ the season for giving and thanking our friends and family! The Belfast Area High School chapter of the Liberian Education Fund welcomes you to give a card to a family or friend who may want some holiday cheer! The Liberian Education Fund is a nonprofit designated to raise money to support Liberian students in successfully earning an education. Our hope is to use this card fundraiser to give back our...
American Legion members share gifts, holiday spirit with veterans in Augusta
Mon, 12/14/2020 - 3:15pm

CAMDEN — For the second year, War Memorial Post 30 in Camden has taken on the role of playing Santa’s helper to some of the veterans residing in the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta. Post 30 began this program in 2019 by adopting five Veterans. It turned out that the members of the post made this into a successful opportunity to give back to fellow veterans, so in 2020 they upped the ante to seven veterans at the home. Legion members either volunteered to adopt a veteran or provide financial help...
‘a sparkling drive-through experience’
Lights Over Montpelier – A Holiday Celebration
Sat, 12/12/2020 - 3:00pm

THOMASTON — Atop the hill overlooking Routes 1 and 131 in Thomaston, Montpelier, home to the General Henry Knox Museum, will be decked out in pine, evergreen and lights this holiday season. “We invite families to join their friends and neighbors, beginning at dusk each night, for a sparkling drive-through experience beginning December 5, 2020 and running through January 9, 2021,” said the Museum, in a news release. In lieu of Knox Museum’s annual Holiday Open House, where visitors are invited...
toy drive is helping make Christmas special for more than 1,000 children in Maine
Devil’s Pride Motorcycle Club give boost to Christmas is for Kids Campaign
Fri, 12/11/2020 - 6:15pm

This week, members of the Devil’s Pride Motorcycle Club, along with several of their loyal supporters, spent their evening shopping for Christmas presents to support the Christmas is for Kids Campaign. The Club got the idea less than two weeks ago from another motorcycle club, the GunRunners MC, whose members are supporting this toy drive for the second year in a row. The Club has also received support from the community with many donations from friends both near and far. The CIFK program...
Garden Club decorates Rockport for the holidays
Fri, 12/11/2020 - 2:15pm

ROCKPORT— Members of the Rockport Garden Club have been busy decorating the town for the holidays. Numerous locations throughout the Rockport have been decked out with greenery. “The Rockport Garden Club would like to thank everyone for their support that helps to fund our annual projects,” said the Club, in a news release.
Watershed School to hold online wreath exhibit, auction
Fri, 12/11/2020 - 1:15pm

CAMDEN — Watershed School will hold its first Wreath Exhibit & Auction beginning this Saturday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m., and will run through Sunday, Dec. 20, at 5 p.m. The event will be online via the Watershed School Facebook page. Wreaths decorated by local businesses, artists, families, and other friends of Watershed School will be auctioned off at this event on Watershed’s Facebook page . Approximately ten wreaths will be available for bidding, and the winner will be the final bidder of...
Gov. Mills unveils Blaine House Christmas display, including tree from Waldoboro business
Thu, 12/10/2020 - 6:45pm

AUGUSTA — Governor Janet Mills announced Thursday the Blaine House’s holiday display of decorated trees will be dedicated to the resiliency of Maine people amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's theme, “A Celebration of Resilience,” pays tribute to Maine people, including Maine’s frontline workers and those who have lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic. It also pays tribute to Maine's commercial fishing fleet, which recently lost four members of its community. Members of the public...
opinion
All I want for Christmas... (A word of appreciation for Mid-Coast Solid Waste employees)
Thu, 12/10/2020 - 12:30pm

All I I want for Christmas: Is a smile and a word of thanks to the men and women that work to move our trash generated by our convenient, rich lifestyles to the heap we call the “transfer station”. For your information, these folks (employees of our local transfer station) work in one of the most dangerous industries outside of lobstering and logging. Yes, dangerous to handle germs, disease, sharp glass, all kinds of metal and steel parts, all just so you can go out and buy more crap that ends...
Maine’s Entrepreneurs and Artists
Shop Local Spotlight: ornaments, jewelry from discarded lobster, mussel, oyster shells
Thu, 12/10/2020 - 10:45am

SOUTH BRISTOL—Many Maine artists use the concept of lobster in their art, but Tenley Seiders, an artist from South Bristol, actually uses lobster claws, tails, and other parts of the shell in her elegant jewelry and ornaments. Born in California, she was first inspired to create jewelry from the abalone shells found on Pacific beaches. From there, she delved into working with pearls and semi-precious gemstones. After spending countless summers in Maine, an “a-ha” moment occurred when she found...
searching for the twelve best, underappreciated Christmas songs ever recorded
Strand film stream: ‘Jingle Bell Rocks!’
Mon, 12/07/2020 - 2:15pm

The Strand Theatre continues to present films to stream from their website. Throughout the month of December, the 2014 documentary Jingle Bell Rocks! takes the viewer on a search for the twelve best, underappreciated Christmas songs ever recorded. In Jingle Bell Rocks! director Mitchell Kezin delves into the minds of legendary Christmas music fanatics, as well as his holiday heroes, interviewing hip hop legend Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons of RUN-D.M.C., The Flaming Lips'...
Volunteers light up Camden, weaving festive lights into holiday wreaths
Sat, 12/05/2020 - 4:45pm

Camden’s downtown got brighter and more festive this past week, thanks to a merry band of volunteers. The Camden Garden Club usually provides the lights on the wreaths and puts them on the wreaths before they go up. Garden Club members had to cancel their home tour this year, so they did not have the funds to provide the lights, and the wreaths went up without lights. West Bay Rotarian Kristen Lindquist saw a Facebook post from Camden Parks and Recreation Asst. Director Holly Anderson asking...
‘our special Christmas gift to you’
Strand presents ‘A Christmas Carol’ dramatic reading
Fri, 12/04/2020 - 4:15pm

For the holiday season, the Strand Theatre presents a dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’ classic story A Christmas Carol by House Manager Liz McLeod. The reading is available to hear for free, by streaming from the Strand website or as a podcast on Spotify, Stitcher, or Apple Podcast platforms. “It’s our special Christmas gift to you – a Strand Theatre exclusive,” said McLeod, who is also a veteran radio performer, in a news release. “We’ll be bringing the true spirit – in fact, all...
Shop Local: Three handcrafted gifts from Nature
Fri, 12/04/2020 - 1:00pm

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. It’s important to shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go. “Jellyfish’ Airplant Holders Made From Urchin Shells Rockland, Maine The back story : Lynn Ann Carrano Stasulis works full time at...
‘bringing out the very best’
Book sale at Camden Public Library runs through December
Thu, 12/03/2020 - 3:30pm

CAMDEN — The Camden Public Library announces a “gift worthy” book sale just in time for holiday shopping. This special sale will run Monday through Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., during the month of December in the library’s rotunda. Susan Fitzgerald volunteers as a coordinator for the library’s book sales. “We’ve combed through our donations to bring out the very best,” she said. The sale will feature a large selection of fiction and children’s books in excellent condition, according to the...
The consensus? It turned out to be very good
Here’s the acorn bread nobody asked for
Thu, 12/03/2020 - 11:30am

On Thanksgiving day, I decided to roll up my sleeves and attempt to bake some bread. Not just any bread. Loaves made from those damn acorns it took me one hour of gathering, two weeks of cracking, five hours of leaching, and 28 hours of dehydrating, as explained in my recent article, “ Back off squirrel, these acorns are mine .” Basically, a gallon and a half of raw acorns produced probably two and a half cups of acorn flour. Worth it? You tell me. Actually, don’t...
neighboring families compete ‘with hilarious and catastrophic results’
Belfast Maskers to stream free Christmas play online
Tue, 12/01/2020 - 9:00pm

The Belfast Maskers will crown their 2020 season with an online holiday show. The short comedy Let There be Lights! , by Dwayne Yancey, is about neighboring families who vie to put up the biggest display of Christmas lights with hilarious and catastrophic results. As a gift to the community, the family-friendly play will be available free-of-charge on the Belfast Maskers YouTube.com channel starting December 18. A link to the play will be posted on their website ( www.belfastmaskers...
Mount View Chamber Singers announces cancellation of 2020 Carols in the Round
Mon, 11/30/2020 - 9:15am

THORNDIKE — The Mount View Chamber Singers, a 20 member ensemble of students from Mount View High School, announced Sunday on its Facebook page its 2020 Carols in the Round season has been canceled amid the pandemic. The 2020 season was slated to be 30th annual edition of the Carols in the Round series. “We are still hoping to post some recordings of us singing Carols outdoors,” the post noted. “We thank you for your kindness and support throughout the years and hope you have...
The morning after Thanksgiving, a tradition continues
Sat, 11/28/2020 - 9:15am

CAMDEN — The Mt. Battie Christmas Star is back, lighting the Midcoast with its seasonal grace and joyful brilliance. The star was installed and maintained by a loyal group of local volunteers, who have kept this tradition intact for 58 years. Earlier this year, when the pandemic settled a blanket of gray across the world, the star came out of storage and was even lit again through the raw, unsettling months of spring. It raised the spirits of the Midcoast with its untimely reappearance. In...
From $10-$40
Shop Local: Three handmade goods that are pure ‘Maine’
Fri, 11/27/2020 - 12:00pm

Given that so many artists were hard hit economically over the COVID-19 virus, Penobscot Bay Pilot puts a spotlight on the hard-working artists and entrepreneurs in Maine. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go. The Original Lobstah Trap Beer Caddy Cumberland, Maine The back story: The Lobstah Trap Caddy is handcrafted in Maine constructed from authentic Maine lobster trap material...
Curbside Christmas Conifers, December 12, 13 at West Bay Rotary Christmas Tree and Wreath Sales
Thu, 11/26/2020 - 8:15pm

Make your holidays even brighter by having your Christmas tree and wreaths delivered to your door! Avoid even having to pick out a tree by calling in your order to dedicated Rotarians who will pick out your tree and deliver it outside to your house. Christmas Tree and Wreath sales begin just after Thanksgiving at Maine Sport as usual, and this year a special offering during the weekend of December 12 and 13 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. is available to help alleviate concerns about tree shopping...
The 4K Facebook group is sponsoring 85 families for Christmas and needs your help
‘Wine Fairies of Maine’ are anonymous altruists who help any family in need
Thu, 11/26/2020 - 10:30am

THOMASTON—Back in March, 29-year-old Carly Laughery, of Thomaston, had her hands full with three kids and a job at Staples. With so many people around her losing jobs, childcare, and their financial security due to the COVID-19 virus, Laughery looked at ways she could possibly help. She heard about a mysterious nationwide group called “Wine Fairies,” people who band together to anonymously drop a bag or basket of wine, food, or other special gifts on the doorstep of someone having a rough time...
Updated with raffle website
West Bay Rotary holds Lucky’s Christmas Vacation raffle
Wed, 11/25/2020 - 2:30pm

West Bay Rotary is raising money to help three local nonprofits that help people in need. Net proceeds from Lucky’s Christmas Vacation raffle will benefit the Camden Area Christian Food Pantry, One Less Worry, and the Shields Mission Project. Raffle tickets are $10 each or six tickets for $50, and the winner will receive a certificate for seven nights at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort in Naples, Florida. The raffle winner will be drawn Sunday, Dec. 20, at 4 p.m., at the West Bay Rotary Christmas...
food pantry, pet pantry
Waldo County Technical Center gives back, one pie at a time
Tue, 11/24/2020 - 5:15pm

Students in Waldo County Technical Center’s (WCTC) Culinary Arts program are giving to their community this year by making pies. The class, led by instructor Jackie Boulay, is making at least 50 pies. The apple, blueberry, pumpkin and chocolate cream pies are being sold to WCTC staff members. The teens decided to donate their pie profits to Waldo County Pet Food Pantry. They estimate that they will be able to donate $140 to the pet pantry. They have also donated 12 pies to Jackson Food Pantry...
off the boat and up a tree
Rockland’s Lobster Trap Tree rises to its 20th
Tue, 11/24/2020 - 4:30pm

ROCKLAND — The annual Lobster Trap Christmas Tree re-grew to its full height of holiday tradition, Tuesday, Nov. 24, at Mildred Merrill Park overlooking Rockland Harbor. Thirty members of the Coast Guard vessels Abbie Burgess, Thunder Bay, and The Tackle, along with members of the station took on this year’s resurrection, commencing operation at 0900 hours. Dressed in proper tree-constructing uniform (jeans, sweatshirts, knit hats, and face coverings), crew mates mustered into...
Lincolnville church fundraiser: Decorated wreaths, luminary kits, centerpieces
Mon, 11/23/2020 - 5:15pm

LINCOLNVILLE CENTER — The Lincolnville United Christian Church (UCC) is selling decorated balsam wreaths, evergreen centerpieces, and luminary kits this holiday season. Decorated wreaths are $25 and centerpieces are $15 and $25. Luminary kits are $15 and include material for five luminaries with assembly directions. To order wreaths, luminary kits and centerpieces email ucclincolnville1821@gmail.com , or visit www.ucclincolnville.com/news-and-events.html Pre-ordered items can be picked on...
December 4-13
Camden’s 34th annual Christmas by the Sea scales back and innovates during pandemic
Mon, 11/23/2020 - 3:15pm

Camden, Lincolnville and Rockport are festive the first weekend of December, which is traditionally Christmas By the Sea weekend. This year's event, like so many holiday events in Maine, will be different, due to the ongoing pandemic and recent spike in positive cases statewide. For the sake of public health, the Dec. 4 annual holiday parade, which usually kicks off the weekend event, is cancelled. Due to the inevitability of drawing crowds, the organizing committee decided it is best to change...
How to stay safe shopping online this holiday season
Mon, 11/23/2020 - 12:00pm

The holiday season is upon us and retailers are already preparing for what they hope will be a successful shopping season. Because of COVID-19, it’s likely we’ll be going online to look for those perfect gifts. With so many deals around and what seem like eternal “Black Friday” sales, it’s important to keep some online shopping tips in mind, courtesy of Shameka Walker, an attorney in the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Consumer & Business Education. So, if you plan to shop from the...
holiday book to benefit two Midcoast charities
Rep. Vicki Doudera pens holiday novella: ‘Looking for Travolta’
Sun, 11/22/2020 - 5:15pm

CAMDEN — Sales of a holiday novella written by Maine State Representative Vicki Doudera, of Camden, will benefit two nonprofits in her part of the state. Looking for Travolta: A Ghost Story of Christmas features Millicent Plenty, a scheming, stingy Scrooge of a woman who makes everyone around her miserable. Hard-working, down-on-her-luck waitress and mother of four Dena Pease bears the brunt of Millicent’s abuse. Doudera retells Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, A Christmas Carol...
register to save on winter 2021 professional development programs
UMaine Hutchinson Center to offer discounts from Black Friday through Cyber Monday
Sat, 11/21/2020 - 3:00pm
Registration is now open for all online winter professional development programs through the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. All winter 2021 professional development programs will be 20% off Black Friday (Nov. 27) through Cyber Monday (Nov. 30). More information is available on the Hutchinson Center website . The UMaine Hutchinson Center’s professional development programs are designed to benefit professionals from a range of sectors, including health care workers, educators...
Cheap Dates: Hey college kids, take a magical mystery tour through Erickson’s Fields Story Walk
Sat, 11/21/2020 - 9:00am

It feels like decades since I last wrote a Cheap Dates story. Thanks to the onset of the pandemic back in March, during those dreary spring months, there was not only nowhere to go, but nothing to do. There’s only so much sourdough bread you can bake and so many family Zoom meetings you can take with a bottle of wine tucked out of view. And now with Thanksgiving around the corner and college students coming home to record-high coronavirus infections spiking across the country, we’re facing the...
Camden Garden Club: Celebrating 70 years of a holiday tradition
Thu, 11/19/2020 - 6:00pm

Camden Garden Club has provided winter holiday cheer to the downtown lampposts for the past 70 years. Beginning in 1950, evergreens and red berries filled the baskets. Over time the club experimented with real trees, artificial trees, pine cones, chestnuts, tinsel, strings of red and green lights and red plastic bows before settling on fresh balsam wreaths, strings of white lights and red velvet bows in 1971. Earlier this year, due to the health emergency, Camden Garden Club made the difficult...
‘for many students, holiday break means a break from reliable meals, warm rooms and caring adults.’
Tis The Season at Waldo County Technical Center
Thu, 11/19/2020 - 5:45pm

For the past two years, students at Waldo County Technical Center (WCTC) have left for their holiday vacation armed with warm clothes and a little extra food, thanks to the Tech Center’s annual ‘Tis the Season celebration. The third annual celebration will be held the week of December 14. This event is organized by WCTC’s Food 4 Friends and It’s Cool 2 Be Warm committee, which is dedicated to ensuring that all students who attend the Tech Center have their basic needs met so they can focus on...
benefiting three local nonprofits
West Bay Rotary Christmas tree fundraiser returns
Thu, 11/19/2020 - 5:15pm

ROCKPORT —The West Bay Rotary Christmas tree fundraiser is back. Christmas trees and wreaths will be available for sale at Maine Sport Outfitters, 115 Commercial Street, Rockport. The sale will run from November 27 (the day after Thanksgiving) until December 20 or until trees are all sold. The hours are: the day after Thanksgiving. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, from noon to 6 p.m.; and weekends, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. An honor box is also available for after-hours sales. Net...
‘items are needed now more than ever’
Camden library’s Hat, Mitten Tree ready for donations
Tue, 11/17/2020 - 5:00pm

CAMDEN — From now through Monday, Dec. 14, the Camden Public Library will again be collecting hats, mittens, scarves, and socks to be donated to the SOS Room at the First Congregational Church. Donations may be dropped off at the Library, Monday through Saturday, between 1 and 6 p.m. “This year has been challenging for so many of our neighbors, and donations of these items are needed now more than ever,” said the Library, in a news release. “The Hat and Mitten Tree, which will be festively lit...
recipes and food safety tips for Thanksgiving
UMaine Extension answers common T-Day question: How to safely thaw turkey
Tue, 11/17/2020 - 4:45pm

University of Maine Cooperative Extension has several resources to help prepare a safe and healthy Thanksgiving meal. Before buying that turkey, UMaine Extension associate professor and registered dietitian Kate Yerxa suggests, in a UMaine news release: “planning for one to 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person. This will provide enough for the meal and leftovers for turkey sandwiches or a favorite turkey recipe.” “How to safely thaw the turkey is a common question,” said UMaine Extension professor...
candy canes, streamers, wreath displays, carols, ice carving, tree lighting
Wiscasset to hold weekend Holiday Marketfest
Fri, 11/13/2020 - 4:30pm

WISCASSET — The Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest tradition continues in 2020. Visitors can expect a delightful shopping experience with added seasonal activities to bolster Christmas cheer, according to Marketfest, in a news release. “While Santa and fireworks may have to wait for another year, the shopping will be dazzling and carefully planned outdoor activities – with built in distancing – will boost the spirits for the Christmas season ahead,” said organizers. Village shopping is the...