Charlestown Holiday Stroll Coming Up Soon

With Thanksgiving just over one week away, the holiday season is upon us, and that means the annual Charlestown Holiday Stroll is fast approaching.

The Charlestown Chamber of Commerce’s annual event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 1, kicking off with a visit from Santa Claus at 10 a.m. at Preservation Park (across from Thompson Square). Children of all ages, accompanied by an adult, are invited to come welcome Santa and visit with him.

This year, many Charlestown stores, restaurants, real estate companies and other businesses will be participating in the stroll. A complete list of participants will be available soon.

Businesses that are interested in participating in the Holiday Stroll and would like to be on the official map should contact the Chamber as soon as possible by emailing amy.oliviabrowning@gmail.com or dianegrant2@gmail.com. (Please put "Want to participate in Stroll" in the email subject line.) Businesses that are interested in being part of the map printed in the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge (a $100 commitment) should notify the Chamber immediately.

Consumers will have a chance to win three top prizes if they mark off every business location on their Holiday Stroll maps.

“Santa will pick the winning maps out of his toy chest at 4:15 p.m. at Preservation Park,” event organizer Abby Gray said in an email.

Prizes will include gift cards and a 50/50 cash prize, with 50 percent going to the Chamber Events Fund and 50 percent going to the winner.

Event organizers are currently seeking volunteers to help out the week and day of the Holiday Stroll. Jobs include distributing materials and information to each participating location, helping to ensure that businesses get their Stroll flag positioned in a place people can see it, helping Santa Claus manage the crowd, distributing Stroll maps and other duties. Those interested in volunteering should email amy.oliviabrowning@gmail.com (Please put “I will volunteer" in the subject line.)

Also as part of the Charlestown Holiday Stroll, the Charlestown Women's Club will be holding its annual Women's Club Holiday Fair at the Knights of Columbus Hall, and the artists at StoveFactory Gallery and Studios will hold their Open Studios and Holiday Boutique.

“It takes a village to pull this off,” Gray said in an email. “Many have worked on the planning—and it is coming up fast. We want this to be a wonderful day for our kids, residents and visitors. We are aiming to grow the Stroll and add lots of things in the years to come.”