Light up the night with The Grand Illumination and Kris Kringle Market on Friday, November 25, in the heart of beautiful, historical downtown Troy. Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at 6:15 p.m. in their traditional grand entrance on a Troy Fire Dept. ladder truck, and later they will take the stage at 6:45 p.m. to help countdown to The Grand Illumination, which takes place a 7 p.m. Mayor Michael Beamish will present his awards and read his traditional Christmas poem prior to the lighting, and live music will take place before and after the lighting.

"It's a spectacular night all the way around," said Troy Main Street marketing and events coordinator, Shelly Calvert. "Families have been coming to downtown for decades to see the tree lighting, to have dinner or a snack, and to get a little bit of shopping done. In recent years, we've added the adorable Kris Kringle Market from 4-8 p.m. at the Mayflower Arts Center, where local artists are selling gifts at reasonable prices. And of course, Santa's House will be ready for visitors on Prouty Plaza. What could be better for a young child than a downtown full of lights and music with Santa sitting right there in his house waiting for a visit? It's magical!"

Entertainment will begin on the Public Square at 5 p.m. with activities for kids and a kettle corn vender and hot chocolate booth. Troy Community Radio personalities, Clint Myers and Lori Younce will kick off the event with Christmas music. TCR also will announce the winners of the merchant holiday window decorating contest. At 5:30 p.m., the Melody Men Barbershop Chorus will take the stage and lead the crowd in sing-along Christmas carols and holiday tunes. At 6:15 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will loop around the square in a grand entrance. At 6:20 p.m., Mayor Michael Beamish will recite his traditional “Twas the Month Before Christmas” poem and lead the community in welcoming Santa Claus into town. As Santa and Mrs. Claus join the mayor on stage, they will count down to the illumination of Troy’s holiday centerpiece Christmas tree, donated by the Justin Beck Family. The lights on the public square light up as well, and entertainment will continue until 8 p.m.

After the tree is lit, Santa will make his way over to Prouty Plaza to the Santa House, generously donated by the Western Ohio Home Builders Association and carefully placed on Prouty Plaza by Don Hubbard Roofing & Home Improvements. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available to hear holiday wishes the evening of The Grand Illumination and then again during set hours throughout December. Specific hours will be posted outside of the house, on the Troy Main Street website and Facebook page, as well as on postcards which can be picked up at downtown Troy merchants and restaurants. Santa's House is wheelchair and stroller accessible.

While Troy Main Street coordinates all the activities of The Grand Illumination, The City of Troy brings the Christmas tree to the Public Square and strings all the lights on the trees downtown to add the magnificent sparkle to the whole event. Our Troy City Fire Department provides Santa's fire truck, and the City's parks department assists with Santa's House. The Beautification Committee and The Green Society make Prouty Plaza and Santa's House look festive and beautiful.

"It truly is a community-wide effort that shows how well our community works to bring the best events and programs to our citizens," Calvert added. "The Grand Illumination ends the year of downtown events with an amazing collaboration between Troy Main Street, several of the City of Troy departments, our business sponsors, and the citizens of Troy. It's heartwarming to see our community work together."

"We are fortunate to have such great support from US Bank, Unity National Bank, Frontier Communications, Alvetro Orthodontics, Upper Valley Women's Center, Beckstrom Orthodontics, Minesinger Companies, Village Salon, Leaf & Vine and the Mercer Group. Even our local media is generous in helping us with this event," Calvert added, noting that the Santa House, which made its debut last year, was another example of local businesses giving something special to our Troy families. This year, the donations needed to make the Kris Kringle Market possible came from Don Hubbard Roofing & Home Improvements, Minster Bank and Organic Turf.

The Grand Illumination, Kris Kringle Market and Santa's House are all free and open to the public.

For additional information, contact Troy Main Street at 937-339-5455 or visit www.troymainstreet.org.