This weekend will be packed full of holiday fun leading up to the big annual visit from jolly old St. Nick.
On Friday night, the Orion Area Parade Group (OAPG) will host their annual Holly Jolly Folly.
The fifth annual event, which starts at 7 p.m., will feature dinner, beverages, entertainment, door prizes and a silent auction, as well as the Mark Turpen Scholarship announcement.
The night, which is held at Golling Pontiac, benefits the Orion Lighted Holiday Parade. Tickets are $30 a person.
The Holly Jolly Folly offers the opportunity to get a group together to kick off the holidays while supporting your hometown parade. Attire is casual or holiday.
On Saturday, Santa Claus is coming to town in the annual Lighted Holiday Parade.
With the theme of ‘Orion’s Polar Express,? the parade starts at 6 p.m. Prior to its start, there will be pre-parade entertainment, beginning at 4 p.m., on the Oakland County stage at S. Broadway and Front Street.
The parade will feature 66 lighted floats, marching bands, fire trucks and other entertainers, as well as the grand marshall, Orion’s Citizen of the Year, Dr. Joe Mastromatteo.
Saturday will also be the kickoff for the Lighted Holiday Village in downtown, and various businesses will host special happenings inside of their stores as a way to say thanks for customers? support throughout the year.
Local merchants have also contributed to the Ultimate Gift Basket, which will have a minimum value of $500. Shoppers spending $10 or more can register for this giveaway at participating businesses.
Don’t be surprised if you see some four-foot tall gingerbread out and about in downtown, as this year’s Holiday Village features them as part of the ‘holiday treat? theme.
While Santa is in town, he will also be appearing at the Orion Senior Center following the Lighted Parade. For those that don’t have time to stop in for a visit, they can drop off their letters to Santa until Dec. 18 at a special mailbox located outside of the Downtown Development Authority office at 51 N. Broadway.