Downtown Christmas Event Planned

The fourth annual “Downtown Trenton Christmas” event will be held on Friday, Dec. 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Sesquicentennial Park and Five Points area where be the center of most activities, which will include a soup supper, the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree, horse and carriage rides, live holiday scenes in downtown business windows, music, dancing and a cookie walk. Santa Claus will also be making an appearance and visiting with children.
Trenton Masonic Lodge No. 111, AF&AM will be having a soup supper, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The supper will be located in the basement of the lodge with entry just off Tinsman Avenue.
Don Jahraus of the Foursquare Gospel Church will give the invocation to begin activities at the park, which will then be followed by the Mayor’s Christmas tree lighting. Mayor Dr. Nick McHargue and an area youth, chosen by a drawing, will officially light the tree, which will then remain lighted through the holiday season.
Santa is scheduled to arrive in downtown Trenton shortly after the tree lighting ceremony. Santa will be brought in on the “popcorn wagon,” furnished by Trenton Cinema. He will be accompanied by his elves (members of the North Central Missouri College baseball team) and will be in the park gazebo throughout the evening to visit with children. Bailey’s Studio will also be available to take photos of children with Santa.
Bill Hinkebein will be providing carriage rides during the evening and the Hodge Presbyterian Church is scheduled to hold its annual “Cookie Walk” in the downtown area. There will be kettle corn (the Chumbleys) and hot drinks (the North Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center) for sale.
Music will be provided by the Trenton Middle School Choir and the Pauley Family, with dancers from the Super Stars Dance Studio performing in the Weldon Building at 924 Main St. Dave Burkeybile and the Trenton Mascots will be in the downtown area and the Ministerial Alliance will be reading “The Christmas Story,” also in the downtown area.
The live window scenes will be located in various downtown buildings, with the Girl Scouts and NCMC among the organizations participating. Several of the downtown businesses will also be open along with the Grundy County Museum, which will have a Christmas train, a reindeer and several areas decorated for holiday “photo ops.”
Tree Lighting Sign-Up
Local youth ages four to 12 are eligible to sign up at seven area businesses in the downtown area for a chance to help the mayor light the tree. Sign-up can be done during business hours at Citizens Bank and Trust, Trenton Hardware, Lucky Dog Embroidery, Howard’s Department Store, Main Street Mall, the Barn and the North Grand River Baptist Association. The drawing will take place the evening of Dec. 4 and the lucky winner will have their photo taken and appear in the Republican-Times prior to the downtown event. The youth will also receive a gift basket of items donated by various businesses.