PRINCESS ANNE — Downtown business owners and Chamber of Commerce members are putting the finishing touches on decorations this week in time for Saturday’s holiday season kickoff.
Events will be held all day, starting with the annual Princess Anne Christmas Parade in the morning and ending with an evening reception at Teackle Mansion, said Ben Alder, director of the Princess Anne Main Street Partnership.
“It’s basically a whole day of events,” he said. “It will be a nice day in Princess Anne.”
The parade will start at 11 a.m., with its array of floats, marching bands, fire trucks and other entries starting at the Princess Anne Industrial Park, heading north on Somerset Avenue and ending at Broad Street.
At the end of the parade, Santa Claus will arrive in town, and will join children and their parents at the firehouse for Lunch With Santa. Admission is $5 and includes pizza, a beverage and dessert. After lunch, children can stay and watch the movie “Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure.”
Children will also get a free photo with Santa and a grab bag, both courtesy of the Somerset County Library, said Mattie Dryden, organizer of the lunch.
From 2 to 5:45 p.m., the Somerset County Historical Society will host its annual Christmas House Tour featuring 10 homes decorated for the season, including the Teackle Mansion which will be trimmed in traditional Christmas greenery by the Somerset County Garden Club.
“The ambiance there should be lovely,” said Linda Alder, chairman of the house tour.
The tour will include several houses in the historic district, plus two in the Beckford Manor subdivision, she said. Tickets for the tour are $15 and include entrance to the evening reception at the mansion and a ticket for a free glass of wine. A cash wine bar will be available and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening. Ray Emmons will be playing colonial Christmas carols on his hammered dulcimer, a stringed instrument.
The lighting of the Christmas tree will be held at 6 p.m. at the courthouse. House tour ticket holders can then proceed to the Teackle Mansion reception.