PALMER – With the holiday season quickly approaching, Light Up Palmer is working hard to prepare for their yearly celebrations. The organization will be putting on a Community Celebration and an Annual Town-Wide Decorating Contest.

Light Up Palmer was formed after the holidays of 2018.

“In 2018, there weren’t any holiday decorations in downtown Palmer at all and there hadn’t been any for a number of years,” said Light Up Palmer Chair Chris Smith.

According to Smith, a group of individuals came together to change things and make Palmer more festive.

This will be the fourth annual decorating contest and it is sponsored by Demore’s Automotive and the Steaming Tender restaurant. Smith said that the decorating contest was a great way to celebrate the holiday season during the pandemic.

“This was particularly important during COVID-19. People weren’t able to get out and mingle with others, so the decorating contest allowed people to get out with their families and do something that was free and enjoyable,” she said.

Interested residents are able to begin signing up for the decorating contest now. Smith said more information on how to do so is available on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LightUpPalmer. The decorating will run through Dec. 4 before all houses are judged and voted on the week before Christmas.

Light Up Palmer will also be hosting their Community Celebration on Nov. 26 from 3 to 6 p.m.

With the help of the fire department and many local businesses, the event will feature musical entertainment, ice sculpting and food trucks. There will also be the Roaming Railroad offering free train rides to children, sponsored by Bertera Chevrolet of Palmer.

To officially kick off the holiday season, the downtown holiday lights will be turned on.
Smith said that these events are a great way to make Palmer festive and get residents involved in the community.

“The main focus of this is that we’re not only doing something for individuals and the community, but we’re also improving the look of our downtown. We’re looking to have community pride and community spirit from our residents,” she said.