The North Okanagan kickoff to Christmas season starts in Armstrong.
The annual Home for the Holidays – Downtown Light Up and parade, sponsored by the Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce, takes place Thursday.
As this is Armstrong’s 100th birthday, organizers have promised extra amounts of floats and entries in the parade.
Activities begin during the day, as Mostly Minis hosts a petting zoo downtown, and local school children will be decorating Christmas trees and visiting with Santa Claus.
At 4 p.m., the Telus kids cookie decorating booth opens in Spirit Square. The North Okanagan Knights junior hockey team will be playing road hockey and, at 5 p.m., the sounds of the Tapestry ladies choir will fill the air. They’ll sing until around 5:30 p.m. at which time, preparations for Santa’s return to downtown begin.
The parade leaves the Village Cheese Co. at 6 p.m. and travels east on Pleasant Valley Road, then circles Spirit Square on Pleasant Valley Boulevard before heading back to Village Cheese.
Santa will continue to Spirit Square where he will flip the switch to signal the arrival of Christmas to Armstrong and Spallumcheen at about 6:30 p.m.