BY JEFF B. FLINN Managing Editor
The Hill Country Mile promises to be the place to be this weekend, as the annual “Dickens On Main” event lights up the city following Thursday’s Day of Thanksgiving.
Bring the kids, bring your charge cards and be prepared to “play in the snow” as the city of Boerne and its many Dickens On Main sponsors present a touch of Christmas to launch the festive season.
There will be ice carvings. Train rides for the kids. Pictures with Santa Claus and The Grinch. Live bands, stage performances, singalongs and blowing snow along Main Street – event organizers have assembled a lineup to appeal to most every member of the family.
Lissette Jimenez, Boerne Parks and Recreation Department director, outlined the festivities - many months in the planning, but growing closer by the hour – now in its 23rd year.
“This is the biggest event you’ll see in town. Traditionally, Dickens On Main takes place on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving,” Jimenez said. “So, you’ve got your holiday plans on Thursday, and we’ll take care of you the rest of the weekend.”
It all starts at noon Friday with the opening of the Dickens along Main Street. There are four components, four major areas where activities are planned: “North Pole Village” on the Main Plaza; “Tiny Tim Village” at 101 S. Main St., just south of Main Plaza; “Dickens Village” in the 300 block of South Main Street; and “South Pole Village,” at 437 S. Main St., near Hamby’s and Cibolo Creek Brewing.
All four areas run noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, allowing free flow from one area to the other – all while hitting shops along The Mile with Christmas gift-giving in mind.
“It’s a full agenda, a full itinerary, we’ve got a lot of great activities planned for all ages,” Jimenez said. “You’ll see activities all the way from Main Plaza, down Main Street, and at the courthouse.”
An added feature this year will be an ice rink that lasts throughout the month.
“An ice rink will be available at Waterworks Terrace,” she said. “Behind Main Plaza across the street there is a fenced-in area, which is the original city pool. That is where the ice rink will be set up, and available all through December.”
A third-party vendor will be handling skate rentals at the site, so Dickens revelers do not have to lug their personal pairs of skates to the event.
Other “cool” features involve an ice-carving show Friday and Saturday evenings, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Snow-blowing machines will be placed along Main Street, blowing “snow” (actually a soap-sudsy mixture) to get visitors in a more festive mood.
Mayor Frank Ritchie will have the privilege of presiding over the tree-lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday on Main Plaza.
Other features:
* Tiny Tim Village near the courthouse will have train rides for children from 5-9 p.m. each day, as well as photos with Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman.
* Dickens Village will have Christmas story-telling sessions, the Last Chance Forever Birds Of Prey show, as well as the Bah Humbug One-Man Show.
* South Pole Village’s schedule includes pictures with grinch and live music on a stage set up near Hamby’s.
* Main Plaza will have local talent grace its stage all weekend, in addition to the ice-carving demonstration and the ice rink.
Street closures begin at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Motorists need to plan accordingly, and pick accessible parking spots that allow easy entry and exit, considering the detours that will funnel traffic away from Main Street.
For a complete schedule of Dickens On Main events, go to the website, holidaysinboerne. com to download a complete schedule of events.
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