AMBOY — The 2019 Amboy Christmas Walk will be an exciting mix of fun, new features along with many longtime favorite activities from the past. This year’s event will be held from 4-7 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 14.

As always, the hub of activity will be downtown in Santa’s Village where Santa will take up residence in his “Santa Hut,” donated by Jones-Berry Lumber. Santa will arrive on an Amboy Fire truck at 4:15 p.m. Santa’s Hut will be open from 4:30 – 7 p.m. Pictures with Santa in his house will be available in exchange for a canned good item or a $1 donation. On3Photography will be taking the pictures. 

One new location of activities this year is the Amboy Central School. Inside the school will be a craft and vendor fair, Whimsey Face Painting, and the Gingerbread House Contest. Judging will be done by vote of people attending the event. Whimsey Face Painting will be from 4-6 p.m.

Returning favorites will also provide some holiday spirit. The Starlight Dance Studio will perform at 4:45 p.m. in Santa’s Village.

Over at the Amboy Depot Museum a reading of the Polar Express will take place. This year, the Amboy Depot Museum will once again be hosting a Christmas Wreath auction fundraiser. A total of 37 businesses and organizations have decorated wreaths and displayed them for bidding by the public. On Saturday, the wreaths will be collected and displayed at the Depot Museum form 2-6 p.m., where the final biddings will take place. Pictures of the wreaths the businesses have created are featured in today’s paper. Note – not all of the wreaths were available to publish at press time.

While downtown, be sure to have the kids drop off their Letters to Santa at The Amboy News, which will be open at 245 E. Main Street.

Travel to the businesses outside of downtown will be available again this year by free Musical Trolley Rides. 

Passengers will be able to board the trolley downtown and stop for visits at each location. Stops will include Pankhurst Memorial Library, Santa’s Village at the Depot Museum, Teen Turf, Amboy Garden Shop, Amboy Central School, Amboy High School, Johnson Tractor, Shell Express Lane, and The Iron Tree and The Warehouse Boutique. At each of these stops, visitors will be welcomed with refreshments and various activities including family crafts at the library and Teen Turf. 

For a complete list of what the local businesses will be offering during the event, see Section B of today’s paper.

Except for activities that will be listed as such, all activities at the Christmas Walk are offered at no charge.