Nov 29, 2022
BATAVIA — Tastings, contests and activities for both children and adults will be ready for the public during this Saturday’s Christmas in the City.
Families can bring their kids to the Batavia City Centre Mall for Santa’s Village and workshop. And, of course, the youngsters may be in pictures with jolly old St. Nick.
“There’s a lot of activities. We started setting up Saturday,” said Downtown Business Improvement District Executive Director Shannon Maute. “We’ll have life-sized gingerbread houses, Christmas trees throughout. The only thing that isn’t new is Santa. We have craft-making, cookie-decorating, games. “In the mall, EverPresent Church will have cocoa and doughnuts. From 3-5 p.m., walking around, we’ll have Dickens characters caroling and Scrooge.”
Most activities in the City Centre that day will be from 1-5 p.m. However, Main St. 56 Theater will present “Our Hometown Christmas” from 10 a.m.-8 p,m. in the mall.
Batavia Players, Inc. Vice President, Public Relations & Advertising Heather Zerillo said this will be the second year for the event.
“We have over 40 vendors coming — actors and vendors. EverPresent Church is going to have a live Nativity inside the mall,” she said. Santa also coming for photos with the kids from 1-5 p.m. At 12:15 p.m., there will be a special performance by the Main St. 56 Dance Company. At 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Batavia Players, Inc. will present “A Christmas Carol.” Go to showtix4u.com for tickets.
All the activities outside the City Centre will be from 2-6 p.m.
“Cookies and cocoa will be at The Spa At Artemis. GO Art! will have hot cocoa. There will be chili tasting at Adam Miller (Toy & Bicycle),” Maute said. “We have adult tasting at Yngoddess (73 Main St.). We have champagne and mistletoe at My Cut (Barbershop, 202 E. Main St.); adult tasting and samples at Empire Hemp. HUNT Real Estate (97 Main St.) is doing ornament crafts. Letters to Santa at Coffee Press (13 Jackson St.). We do have a horse and buggy on Center Street, from 3-6 p.m. We have T-shirt coloring at T-Shirts, Etc.
The parade down Main Street will begin at 6 p.m. The fire departments in the parade will include the town and city of Batavia, Corfu, Pembroke, Byron and South Byron.
The window display contest will include cas prizes of $100 for first place, $75 for second and $%50 for third, Maute said. Among the participants are Adam Miller, Empire Hemp and Charles Men’s Shop.
“It’s pretty much the same as most years. Most of them have started. A few of them have finished,” she said of the display contest. “They actually look pretty amazing — very creative this year.”
