Local cities ready to start season with holiday events

FERNDALE/BERKLEY/PLEASANT RIDGE — Local cities are ready to light up their downtowns for the holiday season.

Ferndale, Berkley and Pleasant Ridge each have Christmas and holiday events coming up soon, whether it’s a visit from Santa Claus, a parade or lighting a tree.

Ferndale will be hosting its annual Santa at Schiffer event from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Schiffer Park.

Santa’s tour of Ferndale will begin in Wilson Park, where he’ll be from 1 to 1:15 p.m. He’ll then travel to Geary Park and meet with people there from 1:30 to 1:50 p.m. Finally, Santa will make his way to Schiffer Park at 2 p.m., where the kids in attendance can get a photo with St. Nick.

“We are excited because we’re having alternative activities for folks to do,” said Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Jennie Beeker. “We’ve got pictures that will be available with Santa. We’re going to have some other just family photo opportunities. We wanted to make sure that it’s inclusive for families and adults and anyone really; whether you celebrate with Santa or not, you’ve got a place to come and celebrate in downtown Ferndale.”

At Schiffer Park, kids will be able to write letters to Santa, partake in a s’mores station and make crafts with help from the Ferndale Parks and Recreation Department.

Beeker said they’ll be working on having different photo stations for Santa at Schiffer to make the visits for the kids special.

For Beeker, holding events like Santa at Schiffer is important because they make experiences available for people, whether the visitors to Ferndale’s downtown are there to spend money or not.

“We are always cognizant that it can be difficult for people over the holidays, like trying to find where to go, where to spend, and we want to make memories available for people for free in Ferndale,” Beeker said. “We do prioritize making events accessible for everyone, and we use it as an opportunity to showcase our downtown. So, we always are encouraging folks, if you can shop local and small this holiday season, please do so, because that makes such an impact for those dollars going back into your community. It makes those shops able to stay open for the rest of the year and to keep that vibrant downtown that we all enjoy for 365 days a year, and then especially in the holiday season.”

Over in Pleasant Ridge, the city will be hosting its tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, at Memorial Park near City Hall, 23925 Woodward Ave.

Berkley will see the return of its Holiday Lights Parade on Saturday, Dec. 6. Organized by the Berkley Holiday Lights Parade Committee and the Berkley Junior Women’s Club, the parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. at 12 Mile Road and Bacon Avenue and continue down 12 Mile to Coolidge Highway, where it will end at the gazebo at City Hall, 3338 Coolidge Highway.

At City Hall is where Berkley’s annual tree lighting ceremony will take place, led by Santa after he rides in the parade. Before the parade takes off, there will be activities in the downtown starting at 1 p.m. This includes a petting zoo, cookie decorating, a warming station and a s’mores station.

Berkley Director of Communications Caitlin Flora said the parade always has been a great kick off to the holiday season

“It’s just a fantastic opportunity for our community to come together and enjoy the start of the holiday season,” she said. “There is going to be a holiday market (on North Griffith Avenue) with some vendors. So, that will be really cool to see, too. … it’s just a really fun and special time for everyone.”