BURRILLVILLE – Stroll along a village Main Street lined in sparkling lights, visit with area merchants and get dazzled by a colorful fire truck parade this Saturday at the Downtown Pascoag Neighborhood Association’s 7th annual Victorian Holiday.
The yearly event marks the village kickoff to the Christmas season through a collaboration between DPNA and the Pascoag Fire Department, with Santa arriving by fire truck, and opportunities for both shopping and fun, free holiday activities.
“The reason this event is so fantastic is it’s a free family event to bring everyone out into the community to celebrate as a community,” said DPNA’s Business Liaison Amanda Desjardins
This year, the event coincides with Small Business Saturday, and both the district’s fire trucks bays and the streets will be lined with crafters, direct sale vendors and food vendors. The bays, as always, will also feature dozens of raffle items for just $1 a ticket, as well as face painting.
At the nearby Dunkin Donuts, kids can decorate a pastry, while Pascoag Public Library hosts a Victorian Tea. Bridgetown School Historical Society will host a holiday bazaar, and the Bells Choir performs at Pascoag Community Baptist Church.
Overlook Nursing Home will hold its annual gingerbread contest with participants in the free competition invited to drop off their entries anytime before 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Food vendors in 2019 include Popcorn by Veronica, a bake sale, candy apples and chocolate with Jessica White, and hot dogs, hamburgers and doughboys with Pascoag Fire Department Hose 1. Local Boy Scouts will again be selling hot chocolate.
Zoie Mercier’s family will be collecting items to keep sick kids occupied during long stays at Boston Children’s Hospital including new crayons and children’s books for their ongoing drive dubbed Two Children Challenge TSC.
Lion Strength Fitness is asking guests to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to families in need for the chance to be entered into a raffle.
This year, thanks to Paul Juneau, there will also be Christmas music playing on the Bridgeway.
But the big highlight of the event is always the parade, when an impressive display of decorated fire trucks takes over the village with a display of lights and noise. Trophies are awarded each year to the best decorated truck.
The trucks will depart from AT Levy Elementary School at 4:30 p.m., and travel through Harrisville along Chapel Street eventually arriving in downtown Pascoag on the Bridgeway. Santa arrives on the final truck at 5 p.m., and the vehicles will sit around providing guests rides through the area.
Children are invited to sit on Santa’s lap and take pictures for free.
Desjardins notes that the event’s name is meant to be inclusive for those celebrating a variety of holidays.
Roads throughout the area will be closed off for the event starting sometime after 4 p.m., and will remain closed until after 8 p.m., when the celebration wraps up. Guests should note that some of the vendors will only accept cash.
More than 1,000 people have attended the family-friendly celebration in years past, which provides guests the chance meet with their neighbors, while getting a jump start on their Christmas shopping.
The DPNA’s 7th annual Victorian Holiday will take place on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m.
