Committee and sponsors geared up for Christmas

TE AWAMUTU Spirit of Christmas committee members and sponsors representing Mortgage Express, Harcourts, Flight Centre, L.J. Hooker, Bargain Timber, First national, Singleton & Hansen, Contact Electrical and Heathcote Appliances in Anzac Green in readiness for this year’s Christmas events which kick off in the Green on December 1. 306061AD

With less than a month to the first of this year’s Christmas in Te Awamutu events, Te Awamutu Alive’s Christmas Spirit Committee has been working as hard as Santa’s elves getting the town’s preparations in place.

On Friday, December 1 at Anzac Green the festive season will be launched with a family fun evening starting at 6pm.

One of the highlights of this event will include the Cow Pat Bingo with Daisy the cow drawing this novel ‘prize’. This year there is a $500 travel prize donated by the Te Awamutu Flight Centre as the main ‘pat’ prize, plus there will be a number of ‘splatter’ prizes. There are only 400 tickets and these will be available for sale to the public during November so keep an eye out for the committee selling tickets.

It is also Light Up night, but until it gets dark the committee has organised entertainment, including the Breeze FM, Johnny Nelson, Kihikihi Primary School Choir, a Santa’s run and other fun games for kids. There will be food and drink available, a real family fun atmosphere. As it gets dark everyone can gather for Christmas carols, complete with candles, followed by the lighting of the Christmas Tree and other Christmas Lights.

This year the committee has extended its collection of Christmas display lights as a result of grants from Southern Trust, New Zealand Community Trust, Trust Waikato and the Te Awamutu Community Board. Spokesperson Leanne Milligan says that the collection of lights has been almost trebled this year which will give the light up considerably more impact.

The highlight of the festive programme will, as usual, be Santa’s Parade and various activities to be held on Saturday, December 9. Festivities will start at 9.30 am and finish after 2pm. There will be a number of events during the day including the Outhouse Derby being organised by Mortgage Express and sponsored by Singleton Hansen Plumbing World and ANZ. This year there is a $250 cash prize for the winner of the constructors competition and a $250 cash prize for the winner of the racers competition.

The popular ‘Heathcotes Windy 50’s’ event will also take place with a special lunch at the RSA for entrants and some fantastic prizes. Entries from Heathcotes.

For the kids there will be a number of fun activities in the Altrusa Kidzone and Santa will once again be in Santa’s Grotto at TML.

For those children wishing to write to Santa, there will be a special mail box at Phil’s Photo Magic during December. Many of the popular costume characters that visited Te Awamutu last year will back again, with one or two new arrivals.

Entry forms for the Harcourts Santa parade have been sent out to all community organisations and will also be available at Harcourts, the i-Site Visitor Information Centre and the Courier. Any enquiries can be directed to organiser Davina Miller (871 8784). Some entries have already been received and organisers are hoping to better last year’s mammoth effort with more than 50 entries.

Ms Milligan says that there will be plenty happening on Santa Parade day for the whole family.

L.J. Hookers and Altrusa are organising this year’s Residential Lights Ramble and Diane Tyer would love to hear from those families who are decorating their homes for Christmas. This new event was very popular last year and they are hoping to increase the number of houses in the ramble in 2006.

First National Real Estate is organising the Business Christmas Window Display Competition. It is hoped that all businesses in the CBD and beyond will get the Christmas Spirit this year and decorate their business for Christmas. The committee is also co-ordinating a retail promotion ‘Cracker Christmas Deals’ for December 15. Members will be out visiting retailers over the next week to get the final arrangements in place. Keep an eye out in the December 14 Courier, and also in retailers’ shop windows, for Cracker Deal special offers.

A number of other Christmas events have been advised to the i-Site Visitor Information Centre and Roz and Claire and the team would love to hear about everything that is being organised to celebrate Christmas in December.

The Christmas Advent Events Calendar and details for the Light Up and Santa Parade Day events will be published in the November 28 Te Awamutu Courier.