ERIN – Businesses on Main Street will be embracing the launch of the Christmas shopping season with the annual Erin Window Wonderland event on Nov. 15.
The event will begin with the town’s annual tree lighting in McMillan Park. Mayor Michael Dehn will be in attendance to light the tree and begin the festivities at 6pm.
The lighting of the tree will be accompanied by the Erin District High School Tempo band for the first time.
The students will be playing live Christmas music as the tree begins to glow.
“The event moves onto Main Street for 6:30pm when the stores tear down their paper and reveal their 2024 Christmas windows,” Erin Chamber of Commerce chair Ann Shanahan told the Advertiser.
Each year the stores will create different Christmas displays for the big reveal on Nov. 15.
“We’re really expecting it to be a magical event, mainly because we are closing the road; two years ago we closed the road and it made it that much more fantastic,” she noted.
Due to construction the road couldn’t be closed last year, but the chamber has been working with the county and the OPP to ensure guest are safe.
The road will be closed from 5 to 9pm between Charles Street and Church Street.
“It just gives an extra huge layer of safety for the guests; there’s so many people on Main Street and with traffic going through we just feel like every year we’re playing with fire,” Shanahan added.
Guests can expect “all retail merchants on Main Street to be open” and offering “specialties” until 9pm.
Main Street will be lined with lit Christmas trees, free pony rides will be offered and reindeers are scheduled to attend for viewing purposes only.
“We’ll have Christmas carolers walking around [and] Santa, Mrs. Claus and three elves walking around,” said Shanahan.
A food court will also be featured at the MSN Automotive Repair’s parking lot( 95 Main Street), with food trucks and picnic tables available for seating.
“We really want to make it known that the street is closed … it makes it all the more special that you can meander across the road and everyone be together in sort of community spirit,” stated Shanahan.
