Historic Main Street in Cochrane will be aglow with the holiday spirit Nov. 23 as the town celebrates its largest street festival, Cochrane Light Up.
"This year's Light Up is shaping up to be a great festival with lots of changes and surprises for everyone," said organizer Stephenie Shelstad. "Some of our big changes are there will not be fire pots lining the street as it has been in the past, but the mayor and council will not have you cold. They are bringing a mega fire pit. We have also approval from our fire department to allow four smaller fire pots to be located along the street."
The event, held annually for more than 30 years, includes roaming entertainers, Christmas carols, a chance to visit with Santa, the Mrs. Claus children's shopping area, ice carvings and complimentary hot chocolate and hot dogs.
"Another big change is to allow some smaller businesses to participate – we will have tables with just hot chocolate or hotdogs," Shelstad said. "There are businesses still doing both, but most are doing only one or the other. Entertainment will not be a disappointment for any age with face painters, crafts, sparkle tattoos, stilt walkers, roaming choirs and characters and, as always, hayrides."
Another component of the celebration is the battle for best cup of cocoa and tastiest wiener.
“When entering the barricaded area this year, you will be given tickets,” Shelstad said. “These tickets are to be placed into buckets at each food station and counted towards the Best Hot Chocolate or Top Hot Dog. Make sure to vote for your favourite."
The celebration is capped off when the lights on a 30-foot-tall Christmas tree are turned on.
"This year, our biggest change is the lighting of the tree," Shelstad said. "In previous years, we have lit the big tree on the roof of Rexall at the beginning of the festival. This year, we will be wrapping up the festival lighting the tree and we have some surprises planned for that, also."
However, she added the secret finale might not be for everyone.
"Due to the nature of our surprises, we are strongly advising families of dogs to please leave them at home, especially if they are scared of thunder or loud noises," Shelstad said. "Don’t worry where the best spot to be is at the time of the tree lighting, you will not miss it from anywhere."
The Cochrane Activettes kick off its annual Share Your Christmas campaign at Light Up, and will be accepting donations of food and gifts for those less fortunate.
Of course, putting on a festival that sees upward of 8,000 visitors annually takes manpower, and Shelstad said Light Up is looking for volunteers to help out.
"We are still desperately needing volunteers for the event to be run successfully. Our event cannot go ahead without volunteers keeping it safe and flowing,” she said. “If you are a sports team or small group looking to get involved please email us at [email protected] or call me at 403-463-4226. We will be giving a small token of appreciation to all volunteers.”
For more information, visit cochranelightup.com
