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Mannequins, Tree Lights & Reindogs, Oh My!

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While most of us were discouraged by a soggy night for St. Joseph & Benton Harbor's Luminary Festival, there is still a ton of holiday spirit available and coming soon to your central business district, not the least of which is the 5th Annual Live Mannequins from Edgewater Bank and the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council.

Getting in a holiday frame of mind will be a cake walk when you visit the Victorian-era downtown in St. Joseph throughout the month of December. Four family-favorite events to celebrate the season will all take place the weekend of December 2nd and 3rd.

Light Up the Bluff on Friday, December 2nd will transform the length and breadth of Lake Bluff Park when Mayor Mike Garey flips the switch at 6:30pm and a million lights twinkle on the community tree and holiday-themed displays from one end of the park to the other. Those lights will then remain on through February 15th for Valentine’s Day planning in Michigan’s Most Romantic City. That display is sponsored by the St. Joseph Improvement Association.

Following the tree lighting, visitors can stroll downtown and enjoy the Fifth Annual Live Mannequins event when dozens of community volunteers will pose perfectly still in participating store windows from 7 to 8:30pm. This year’s theme features Christmas music. All ages will have fun seeing a variety of scenes from their favorite holiday tunes.

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New this year, the Box Factory for the Arts will host the After Party & Awards from 8:30 to 10pm. This event is free and open to the public and will feature live music by the Deep Fried Pickle Project. Food and beverage will be available for purchase.

Keep in mind that road closures will be in effect in the downtown shopping district due to the heavy volume of foot traffic, but plenty of additional free parking is available in the Broad Street lots across from the Box Factory, and free trolley rides provided by Sunset Coast Trolley will be available from the Box Factory lot to downtown from 8 to 10:30pm. Downtown pick up will be located at the Welcome Center and Jimmy John’s.

The very next day, on Saturday December 3rd, the 18th Annual Reindog Holiday Parade, sponsored by FuzzyButz, kicks off at 4pm. Pets and pet owners dress up in holiday costumes to entertain visitors along State Street, and anyone wishing to participate in the parade must register. Parade participants can get registration forms at FuzzyButz on State Street, at St. Joseph Today’s downtown office or at stjoetoday.com/reindog. A portion of the net proceeds from participant registration fees will be donated to Save-A-Stray.

After the parade, children can share their wish lists with Santa at Santa’s House, sponsored by the Herald-Palladium, until 7pm. Santa will be at the house, located at State and Pleasant Streets, until December 23rd. House hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 6pm, on Saturdays from noon to 5pm, and Sundays from noon to 3pm. Special hours will also be offered December 21-23 for those last minute requests. Gift hunters will appreciate the unique selections, special prices and festive shopping atmosphere that evening and throughout December.

Keeping with the Reindog pet theme, local charity Animal Aid of Southwestern Michigan will hold its annual open house at the St. Joseph Public Library on Saturday December 3rd from noon to 4pm. Visitors can buy treats from the bake sale, learn about pet adoption opportunities, make year-end donations and more.

For more information about these and other December activities, contact St. Joseph Today at 269-985-1111 or visit stjoetoday.com or facebook.com/stjoetoday.

In the photo accompanying this story at Moody on the Market.com, live mannequins Peni Petersen and MaryKay Hylton perform their magic in the window of HarborTown Interiors on Broad Street in downtown St. Joseph. 

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