Christmas kick-off in Ritzville Dec. 6

As November draws to a close, local businesses and organizations are gearing up for the Christmas holiday season. The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the holiday festivities with the annual Christmas at the Clock on Dec. 6 in Pioneer Plaza in Ritzville.

The Christmas at the Clock event begins at 5:30 p.m. with the tree lighting ceremony, which is led by Mayor Linda Kadlec and special guest, Santa Claus. During the lighting ceremony, those in attendance are invited to join in Christmas carols and help spread the good cheer to start the holiday season.

After the tree lighting, everyone is invited to visit the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce office to warm up and enjoy festive snacks, including cookies, coffee, spiced cider and hot chocolate.

In addition to the Christmas festivities, local businesses are encouraged to offer in-store specials for this night only and keep the stores open until 7 p.m. Any business interested in extending store hours is asked to contact the RACC office. A list of businesses staying open late will run in next week’s edition of The Journal.

The annual Children’s Movie Matinee has been postponed a week and is going to occur on Dec. 14. The exact time and location of the movie is still being determined, and will be announced in next week’s edition of the newspaper. Santa and the Ritzville Fire Department will be on hand to greet the youngsters at the annual event.

The RACC staff can be contacted by phone at 659-1936, by email at [email protected] or in person at 111 West Main Avenue.