Ag Society ready for holiday season celebration
By Fernando Moreno-Prado Times Contributor
The Strathmore Ag Society is nearly ready for its 17th annual Celebration of Lights opening night on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Strathmore Ag Grounds with hundreds of volunteer hours invested, including 200 hours on Santa’s Cottage. The celebration will run until Jan. 1 of next year.
“We’re pretty much already organized and ready to go through opening night,” said Celebration of Lights committee chair Joanne Selgensen. “There’s just a few little tidbits to clean up, but we’re ready for this year.”
The event caters to all ages with around 3,000 attendees expected to show up on opening night says Selgensen. This year’s new features will include new light panels and a revamped baseball diamond.
Attendees can enjoy free hot chocolate, fire pits and various photo opportunities.
Here are some of the activities planned for opening night:
• There is a parade held in downtown Strathmore at 5 p.m. before hand
• The countdown to turn on lights is at 6:15 p.m.
• Mikes Bar & Grill will be serving food at the ball diamond concession
• Raffle tickets $2 each (opening night only raffle)
• Entertainment
• Speeches at 6:15 p.m.
• Food drive for the food bank happening every night
• Wagon rides
• Fireworks presented by Globalfest and Lakewood at 7:15 p.m.
Santa Claus will be present on every Friday and Saturday from Nov. 30 to Dec. 19 from 6-9 p.m. Santa’s Cottage has been appropriately decorated for the season with appropriate music played across the grounds.
“I know he [Santa] loves the children [and] has a great time with them,” said Selgensen. “Every time he just says how fabulous it is to come here to Strathmore. He really enjoys it.”
In preparation for potential weather conditions, Santa’s Cottage has been designated as a “warm place to take a break,” from the outdoors of the light displays. Nevertheless, the society hopes for good weather and a large turnout.
Additional attending mascots will include the famous franchise mascot A & W Root Bear and the lovely Miss Strathmore Stampede 2024, Tenley Warburton.
The event is free and relies on donations to cover costs. Donations can be given in cash by attendees upon arrival. Donations are used for expenses and any new projects. Selgensen emphasises the community spirit and family-friendly atmosphere of the event.
“It’s just a warm, fuzzy feeling for everybody,” she said.
Selgensen advises everyone to get tickets for the New Year’s Eve event on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Act early as they sellout quickly. Tickets are $7 each and can be purchased at Santa’s Cottage, The Rack On 3rd, and the Strathmore Ag office starting on Nov. 30.
“The venue only holds a certain number of people and that’s the tickets we can sell,” said Selgensen.
The New Year’s event will be from 5-8 p.m. Refreshments will include free Domino’s Pizza and non-alcoholic drinks. There will be a live DJ with dancing, games, and prizes. The balloon drop will be at 7:45 p.m. Fireworks will be shot at 8:10 p.m. All children must be accompanied by an adult.