The 21st annual Rekindle the Spirit of Christmas event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Rekindle is a festival in downtown Rossland to kick off the Christmas shopping season for Rossland retailers.
“The retailers will have different activities and specials going on in their shops, [and there will be] a number of booths set upwith teams or organizations that are using Rekindle for fundraising,” said Kristi Calder, marketing manager for TourismRossland. “So there’s some that will be selling wreaths and garlands, and others will be doing a bake sale.”
There will also be special food vendors downtown so shoppers can keep their strength up.
In addition to kicking off Christmas shopping, the event also gives retailers a deadline to get their Christmas windows ready.
“Retailers like it because they get their Christmas windows ready for Rekindle, and it makes downtown very busy and it kicksoff the winter season, and all the downtown decorating is done,” said Calder.
Rekindle will also mark the opening of two new art galleries in Rossland.
Stephanie Gauvin Art Studio will hold a grant opening, with hot mulled cider and free posters from 1 to 4 p.m.
The Jenny Bailie and Louise Drescher studio and gallery space will also celebrate its official opening during Rekindle, andDrescher will be hosting a story reading in the space at 3 p.m.
There will also be a story reading at New Edition Café and Books, and carolers walking around downtown.
Kids will be excited to have a chance to talk to the big man in red.
The Santa Clause parade, known as the Reindeer Prance, will makes its way down Columbia Ave. from Esling Park to theRossland Public Library, where kids can have their photos take with Santa.
The event will culminate in a tree lighting and draw for a large gift basket, contributed to by all of the local retailers.
The event starts at 10 a.m.