This Sunday, December 8, from noon to 5 p.m. Saugerties will once again celebrate Holiday in the Village. It’ll be the culmination of a three-day seasonal village weekend.
On Friday, December 6 from 5 to 10 p.m., according to the Chamber of Commerce, Saugerties will have its First Friday Holiday Weekend Kickoff. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, will be the Village Shopping Day. And Sunday, of course, will be the parade and assorted special Holiday in the Village events.
Goodies will be offered this weekend at almost every business in the village center. Santa Claus will appear at the Kiersted House this Sunday. Also on Sunday, the parade of decorated fire engines will make their way to Seamon Park.
This year, giant puppets in the style familiar to audiences of Arm of the Sea productions and made by students at Saugerties Junior High School will join the parade in a project organized by Patrick Wadden, co-artistic director of Arm of the Sea, and art teacher Jodi Adams-Hill, who worked with the students.
Shops throughout the village will be offering hot chocolate, crepes, candy, music, crafts and other attractions.
Santa will greet kids at Kiersted House, where treats will also be offered. Historian Marjorie Block said the organization was working with a photographer to take pictures of kids with Santa, and a food truck will be selling kettle corn outside. Kiersted House will close at 4 p.m., with many people heading for Seamon Park.
Ray Mayone will be giving his wagon rides for kids from 1 to 4 p.m., with the last wagon loading up at 3 p.m. “We see people throughout the year, who tell me a wagon ride is a Christmas tradition,” Mayone said. He has been offering the rides for about 15 years.
The Saugerties Library will be offering “a celebration of trees” for patrons to vote on, crafts for the kids and holiday treats.
The Saugerties unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ulster County will hold its seventh annual crafts show and sale from noon to 4 p.m. at its Partition Street center.
While the kids get snacks and treats, their parents can enjoy more adult drinks at a number of venues around the village. Mirabella’s will feature crafts activities for the kids, with holiday drinks for adults. Several other businesses that offered drinks for adults last year were not available for comment this year, but they or others may be offering drinks.
What could be more welcome than hot chocolate on a cold day of walking around the village? The list of restaurants, shops and agencies offering this treat is a long one. Hot chocolate may be the most popular offering of the day, and many Saugerties businesses and restaurants will be offering it.
There are more unusual snacks. Main Street Restaurant is offering churros (fried dough coated with sugar) while supplies last. Lucky Chocolate will do chocolate holiday pops. There’ll be a vast variety of cookies, candies and special drinks at businesses along the main streets of the village.
Mirabella’s, Exchange Hotel and M&T Bank list crafts on offer, while Reis Insurance will have holiday ornament decorating in addition to hot chocolate and cookies. Hudson Valley Dessert Company will have edible crafts – cookies to be decorated with colored icing by the kids who come in.
Holiday in the Village also includes raffles for toys on the Reis parking lot, presided over by the energetic and community-minded Bob Siracusano of Sawyer Motors.
The tree and menorah will be lighted at 5 p.m. at the Reis parking lot on Main Street, followed by a parade of lights through the village on decorated fire trucks. The parade will culminate at Seamon Park, along with the puppets, at about 5:30 p.m., when village trustee Jeannine Mayer will read “The Night Before Christmas.” The tree lighting will be sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.
These listings were taken from last year’s list of activities, with follow-up calls or website checks to be sure they are being offered again this year. Most businesses offer much the same activities and snacks from year to year. Chamber of Commerce president Mark Smith said the organization’s complete list for this year will be available soon. Check the chamber’s web site: discoversaugerties.com.
Join the family! 
