BELCHERTOWN – On Nov. 26, the Belchertown Cultural Council (BCC) will host the fifth annual Winter Light Night event.

There will be an artisan fair as part of Small Business Saturday where you can stop by the Town Hall from 12 to 6 p.m. to shop locally with talented handmade businesses.

A few hours later there will be free activities for residents to enjoy from 3 to 6 p.m. on the town common.

The activities include a gingerbread house contest, hands on art activities, a s’mores station, hot chocolate, carriage rides and more.

All the activities are free due to donations, funds from the BCC, and other grants the council has received.

Trista Hevey is a member of the BCC and co-lead on the Winter Light Night event shared why they decided this event would be free.

“We wanted this event to be inclusive across our community and have everyone to come out and take part. Nothing on the common is for sale and everything is free to our community members. We didn’t want people to come to this event purchasing a lot of items but instead enjoy the season,”she said.
Hevey said that this event usually attracts anywhere from 250 to 600 people during the day.

“Winter Night Light kicks off the season. It is a time that brings everyone in the community together,” she added.

The Belchertown Police and Fire departments also get involved in the event by starting their toy drives and setting up different activities while the Select Board are the judges of the gingerbread house contest.
The official lighting of town common will take place at 5:30 p.m.

The tree that gets decorated and lit up during the ceremony is called the “memory tree.”

“It looks like a traditional Christmas tree but was donated by a local family several years ago. The Belchertown Fair uses it as a memory tree and is adorned with names of members of our community that we have lost [over] the years.” Hevey said.

Not only does the tree get lit up but so does the entire common with snowflakes hanging from the trees and other strands of lights displayed on the buildings.

Hevey added this is her favorite part of the day.

“When we start to count down to light up the common, you look out and see the entire area filled with our community members enjoying something together. I enjoy seeing it come to life for those who live in Belchertown.”

You can either view the lighting ceremony at the town common or watch the BCC Facebook livestream “to see the town common sparkle for the season.”