The Hillsboro Lighted Christmas Parade will be held Dec. 12 in memory of late parade organizer Joe Mahan, and the Hillsboro Uptown Business Association (HUBA) has planned several events leading up to the parade.
HUBA’s 10th annual Snowflake Pageant will usher the holiday events in at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.
The pageant is open to both boys and girls ages 0-18. Participants must be a resident of Ohio. The cost to enter is $25 and all proceeds benefit HUBA. There are additional rules. For more information or to request an application contact Sarah Roe, HUBA president, at [email protected] or text 937-218-1699. Registration is due by Nov. 14.
The following Saturday, Nov. 28, HUBA will host a Shop Small Saturday Business Tour starting at 9 a.m.
”Come shop all your local Highland County small businesses. We will be doing our annual punch card event for a grand prize of goodies from local stores. This event runs the normal store hours of the businesses on the tour,” HUBA said in a news release.
A list of participating stores will be posted later on HUBA’s Facebook page.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, from 5-8 p.m., HUBA and the city of of Hillsboro will host an Uptown Christmas and Tree Lighting. There will be free carriage rides, caroling, a tree lighting and the Wandering Walrus, a business operated by Fairfield High School student Isabella Warner, will be selling hot chocolate and hot apple cider.
In addition, old-time photos with Santa will be provided by Merchants National Bank, and there will be a tour of children’s Christmas activities at participating stores.
The tree lighting ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.
“We are asking residents to help us decorate the tree this year by dropping off an ornament you are willing to donate that can be used year after year,” the news release said. “We will have two drop off locations beginning Nov. 9 and will collect ornaments until Nov. 27.”
The ornament dropoff locations are the Hillsboro City Building at 130 N. High St. and Appearances Salon at 107 W. Main St. Plastic ornaments are preferred.
Then there will be the Hillsboro Lighted Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12. It will be held in honor of Mahan, who died unexpectedly March 29 at the age of 50.
“Joe had been a big part of the uptown business association forever and he was the heart of the parade,” HUBA member Jennifer Cundiff-Maurer said. “He owned the candy store and he was the candy man. So to honor him, we decided to have a Candyland theme for the parade and to ask his family to be the grand marshals.”
Anyone can enter the parade and there is no charge. Applications can be found on HUBA’s Facebook page or can be obtained from any HUBA member.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
