CLEARLAKE – The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce is working earnestly to spread holiday cheer throughout the community. Today is the deadline to get in on some of the fun the chamber has going for the season.
Entry deadline for Clearlake”s Downtown Christmas Parade of Lights is 5 p.m. today. This year”s theme is “Christmas Carols Come Alive.” The parade will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday Dec. 6 at Redbud Park and continue down Lakeshore Drive to Austin Park where Santa Claus will be available for festive pictures with all the good little boys and girls. The event will culminate with a tree-lighting ceremony at Austin Park.
Parade entry fee is $10. Categories include commercial float, community float, school/school-sponsored club and walking. Ribbons will be awarded in the following categories: most appropriate to the theme, best animals, best band, best float, best marching group, funniest group/float, best costumes, best automobile, best choir and most imaginative float.
Today is also the deadline for participation in the chamber”s holiday decoration contest for local businesses. “The chamber is doing its best to entice local businesses into spreading holiday festivity throughout the community,” Lori Peters, chamber executive director said. “We want the joy of the holidays to be apparent here in Clearlake.”
There is no entry fee to participate in the business decoration contest. Those interested need only to call the chamber at 994-3600 and sign up. Decorations will be judged during the Thanksgiving week and the winner of the contest will receive recognition to last year.
The chamber is also engaged in a shop-local campaign. According to Peters, the Christmas in Clear Lake” program offers the best bang for your advertising buck of the season. Merchants as well as consumers benefit from the program. Consumers who choose to shop locally at participating merchants can enter into the grand prize drawing for $1000 in chamber buck, which according to Peters can be used as legal tender anywhere within the county regardless of program participation.
“In this economy, to spend $50 for all your holiday advertising is the best deal around,” Peters said. “And what other contest is going on around here where you can go home with $1000 bucks before Christmas? The grand prize is our local shoppers reward for taking care of their community.”
Entry tickets are available to consumers who shop locally at participating locations now through Dec. 19. Consumers can enter as often as they like and you do not need to be present to win nor make a purchase to enter. The winning entry will be drawn Saturday, Dec. 20 at the chamber office. The winner of last year”s drawing will pull the winning ticket.
Bob Rider, chamber boardmember and owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle said response from the community has been great. “People are really excited about the Christmas in Clear Lake program,” he said. “They really like the prospect of winning $1000 to spend here at local businesses.”
Peters also said the program is going well. “We”ve had a lot of fun so far and we had a few businesses that weren”t already chamber members jump on board,” she said. “This program is really teaching us that if we work together we can do a lot of amazing things.”
Christmas in Clear Lake participants are identified by the blue and white flyers placed in their store windows. For more information, call the Chamber at 994-3600.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
