ERIN – After moving to a virtual format last year due to the pandemic, the Town of Erin’s annual Window Wonderland event is returning in person this year.
In a Nov. 2 council meeting, Mayor Allan Alls announced businesses have agreed to go ahead, with a majority of the merchants participating in Window Wonderland, an annual event that sees downtown stores decorate their windows with merchandise, Christmas decorations and lights.
“The Window Wonderland, followed by the town’s tree lighting, has been a tradition for several years, bringing the community together to kick off the holiday season,” Alls explained in an email to the Advertiser.
“Being in and out of lockdowns has been stressful for many and now that we are in stage three of the pandemic recovery, we are looking forward to the in-person event while continuing to follow all safety guidelines.”
Council also put forward a motion granting $15,000 in funds to go towards the event for “any legitimate expense of the window dressing.
“We’re going to have lots of money to make it a real good evening and I think the community deserves something special this Christmas – and we can make it happen,” Alls said in the meeting.
Keeping with tradition, participating stores will keep their windows covered until the big unveiling during the event.
Set to take place on Nov. 19, the event will be followed by the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting at 6:30pm in McMillan Park.
As a part of this year’s tree lighting event, residents are invited to get in the Christmas spirit and decorate the Christmas tree with decorations provided by the town or with their own decorations, if they choose.
According to the town’s website, new to this year’s event will be an additional tree available for trimming by children (supervised by their parents).
Alls said it feels good to be able to celebrate the start of the holiday season in person.
“The Window Wonderland and the tree lighting are great community events, and the town is happy to support it,” he explained.
“It’s a joyous time of the year and we want to bring the community together.”
Community members planning on attending the event are asked to wear a mask and bring their patience, as stores will be observing capacity restrictions.
Windows will be unveiled at 6pm and the tree lighting will begin at 6:30pm. Participating merchants will be open until 8pm.
