Devyn LeBlanc
reporter@greenepublishing.com
Gear up for Madison's 10th annual Light Up Madison, on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Kiwanis Club of Madison is still looking to team up with various businesses and vendors from Madison County. Their goal is to make this years event better than ever by providing a fun-filled evening with a wide variety of activities at little or no cost to families.
The Kiwanis Club of Madison is providing a plethora of opportunities to partner with and take part in the festivities. Ads of various sizes are available for purchase in the Light Up Madison Program Book. New this year, is the Jingle Bell Fun Run. This fun run is one-mile long, and runners are encouraged to dress in festive outfits. Another way to team up with the Kiwanis Club of Madison is to enter into the parade. All parade entries must have lights. The Kiwanis Club of Madison will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items in place of an entry free for any of the activities listed, excluding vendors and activities that are looking to make a profit. These food items will be distributed to various local organizations. Parade entries have a chance to win $100 for “Best Overall” and “Most Creative.” Vendor booths are available for anyone wishing to sell christmas crafts or gifts for profit. There will be a $25 fee. Both non-profit and for-profit food vendors/food trucks looking to sell food items will need to pay a $25 fee as well. Power will not be supplied, so you will need to bring your own generator and ensure that it runs quietly. For those looking to put a free smile on someone's face, you can set up games, crafts and rides or fun activities. If you are looking to set up a game, you must provide a prize for each player, such as a piece of candy. To set up a crafts booth, you will need to provide materials for a make and take Christmas craft. If you are interested in setting up a ride or fun activity, it must appeal to children and families. The set-up time for booths and vendors will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., anywhere along Range St., in Madison. The deadline to enter the Lighted Parade, Jingle Bell Run or to get an event booth is Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Kiwanis is also hosting a non-perishable food drive during Light Up Madison to benefit Madison County. Those donating nonperishable food items can receive one ticket for the 2021 Power Wheel drawing per item donated. The more food items you donate, the more tickets and chances you have to win the Power Wheel. Tickets can also be purchased for one dollar each at Light Up Madison. The drawing will be held at 7 p.m. after the parade; participants must be present to win.
The Light Up Madison fun begins at 4 p.m. with Becky's Dance Steps Studio performance outside the Courthouse Annex. At 5 p.m., the Jungle Bell Run will begin, followed by the Lighted Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. and the Power Wheel drawing at 7 p.m. Children can visit with Santa outside Grumpy's Diner. There will be horse-drawn carriage rides, community Christmas cards, Christmas decorations in Four Freedoms Park, food trucks and vendors, holiday crafts and more.
For more information, please call Deena Hames at (850) 973-8277, Linda Hasketh at (850) 445-7496 or Kim Scarboro at (850) 973-7251. To submit an application for the parade, send it to Kaitlynn Culpepper at Tri-County Electric Cooperative, located at 2862 W US 90, in Madison. You can also email it to kculpepper@tcec.com, or fax it to (850) 973-1209.