With the holiday season underway, several communities surrounding The Villages are boosting the Christmas spirit by hosting their annual celebrations that’ll be brimming with plenty of food, fun, and holiday cheer.
Lady Lake Hosts “A Storybook Christmas” Parade on Dec. 7: Plenty of familiar holiday storybook characters will be flowing through the streets of Lady Lake on Dec. 7 as it hosts the “A Storybook Christmas” parade.
“Lady Lake’s charming small town annual Christmas parade will bring beloved holiday tales to life with festive floats and cheerful music,” said Lady Lake Events Coordinator Amy Alicea. “Join us as the community comes together to celebrate the magic of the season in this heartwarming annual tradition.”
Creativity will flourish as locals are asked to consider theme, use of color, animations, special effects, rider personnel, visual appearance and artistic beauty, and more when coming up with their costume or float for the parade.
“Our goal is to provide an engaging, entertaining, and family-friendly parade our whole community can enjoy,” Alicea said.
For more information about the parade, visit ladylakefl.gov.
Wildwood Welcomes In Winter With “City of Wildwood Winterfest and Light Up Parade: Bringing the wonders of winter to the city, Wildwood’s Parks and Recreation Department is hosting several events for the holiday season.
Dec. 6 will be a festive Friday night as the city will come to life as the “Light Up Wildwood” parade pushes off from City Hall, 100 N. Main Street, Wildwood, at 6 p.m.
Floats decorated and illuminated by local businesses and organizations will ride down the street, putting on an entertaining show for locals.
“(Last year) it was unbelievably packed, so we are anticipating a really big turnout this year,” Jillan Boyar, recreation specialist for the City of Wildwood, said. “This is great for the whole community.”
After the parade, the city will host “Winterfest” and a tree-lighting ceremony at 7:30 p.m.
“(Winterfest) will feature vendors, a snow slide, free s’mores, a chance to write a letter to Santa, and a free Christmas gift for the local youth who attend the event,” Boyar said. “We host the event at city hall and, an unanticipated side effect, was that it was the perfect environment to have spontaneous interactions.”
For more information about the free city event, wildwood-fl.gov.
Leesburg Lets Snow Fall At the 57th Annual Leesburg Christmas Parade: The merriment and holiday magic will continue into the next day with the 57th Annual Leesburg Christmas Parade happening on Dec. 7 at the Leesburg Towne Square, 510 W. Main Street Leesburg.
Giving the community several hours of fun, the Christmas Festival will start at 1 p.m. with a handful of free activities — including pony rides, ice skating, face painting, and live music from Holiday Revue.
“We will be bringing in a big ice-skating rink sponsored by Orlando Health. We will also provide the ice skates,” said Maggie Lyden, special event manager for the city.
Families will be able to get free photos with Santa and enjoy a guest appearance from The Grinch, who will be there to cause lighthearted mischief and mayhem in true Grinch fashion.
“It’s magical for the kids. They love being able to spend time with Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas,” Lyden said. “It’s also fun to have The Grinch trying to mess with things and stir up mischief at the event.”
Maybe Santa and The Grinch will hit the streets during the 57th Annual Leesburg Christmas Parade, where members of the Leesburg community showcase their holiday floats that celebrate their favorite Christmas carol.
“I will never underestimate the creativity of our residents. I’m looking forward to seeing what people do with this year’s theme,” Lyden added. “I try to choose a theme that gives people a lot of room to be creative.”
For more information about the free city event, visit leesburgflorida.gov.
Fruitland Park Hosts Hometown Christmas Event: Traveling home for the holidays is a common practice, so what better event for Fruitland Park residents to participate in than the annual Hometown Christmas celebration.
“We have been hosting this for (close to) 20 years now. With all our events, we try to provide a free service for our residents so they can have fun without having to pay hundreds of dollars,” said Fruitland Park recreation director Michelle Yoder.
On Dec. 6 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. there will be a DJ, food trucks, vendors and other activities — including bounce houses and laser tag at City Hall, 506 W Berckman St, Fruitland Park.
“Laser tag has been a part of our events for the last eight years. It’s always a huge success. The kids love it,” Yoder said.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus will also make an appearance during the holiday event, arriving by fire truck.
“We have the Fruitland Park Elementary chorus sing ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’ as they are starting to come down the road. Everyone loves that,” Yoder said. “It’s like the entire event stops to see them come down.”
For more information about the event, visit fruitlandpark.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
