Category: Events

Mayor’s Downtown Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony to be Friday evening

The Mayor’s Downtown Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place Friday evening.

This year, it is a drive-through event in front of City Hall, 701 N. 7th St.

There will be performers, including characters in costume. More than 1,000 goodie bags will be given away by Mayor David Alvey, along with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

This year, there will be a steeple lighting of several downtown churches in conjunction with the holiday event.

The drive-through event will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The tree lighting will be at 6:45 p.m. Friday.

Three local families have been selected to receive holiday gifts from the mayor at the lighting ceremony.

The church steeples will be lit at 7 p.m. The Cashen Brothers and LED Direct have donated LED technology to light the church steeples. Installation was donated by the Board of Public Utilities. The steeples will be lit each night.

The church steeples include Our Lady and St. Rose Catholic Church, 2300 N. 8th St.; St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 708 N. 4th St.; former Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 558 Lowell Ave.; Holy Family Catholic Church, 274 Orchard St.; St. Mary-St Anthony Church, 615 N. 7th St.; and the Police Athletic League, former St. Mary’s Church, 800 N. 5th St.

The event is free and open to the public. Those who cannot drive through may walk through.

For more information, visit https://www.wycokck.org/Engage-With-Us/News-articles/2021-Downtown-Tree-Church-Lighting.

Pictures with Santa planned Saturday at Grinter Place

Pictures with Santa are planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Grinter Place historic site, 1420 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Children can meet Santa Claus in a traditional setting with holiday music, with their parents or guardian taking their photo.

Each child will receive a holiday goodie bag.

A $5 donation is suggested, with all proceeds going to Friends of Grinter Inc.

Tours of Grinter House will be available for a fee.

Santa’s Express in Lights to expand to six nights at Ag Hall

The annual Santa’s Express in Lights at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is expanding to six nights as a drive-through exhibit of holiday lights, music and a nativity.

The event runs for two weekends from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3-5 and Dec. 10-12, at the Ag Hall of Fame, 630 N. 126th St. in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

From the comfort of their cars, visitors will see Farm Town, tractors, the barn, the train and Christmas trees all dazzling with holiday lights.

The living nativity will feature a camel, donkey, cow, alpaca, sheep and goats.

Families can wave to Santa and Mrs. Claus and their elves. Kids are invited to write a letter to Santa and bring it to place in his North Pole mailbox.

The family-friendly price is $10 per car. Visitors are encouraged to bring canned food items to donate to local food pantries. Cars will enter off 126th Street and follow the directional signs and instructions of event.

For more information visit Santa’s Express in Lights at https://www.aghalloffame.com/events/santas-express-in-lights/ or call 913-721-1075.