'Miracle on Main Street'

Event in Ephrata features run, children's events, parade

EPHRATA - Ephrata will have a "Miracle on Main Street" on Saturday.

The day-long festival features events ranging from craft bazaars to a lighted parade and fireworks. Tia Tracy, Ephrata's Chamber of Commerce executive director, said the celebration is the city's kickoff for Christmas.

"It's a way for our town to throw a Christmas party," she said. "(The Christmas committee) started planning this on the first of October. We've been working on this ever since."

The event starts at with two craft bazaars at 10 a.m. The first will be at the Ephrata Senior Center located at 124 C St. N.W. in Ephrata. The second will be held at the American Legion Post located at 276 Eighth Ave. N.W. in Ephrata.

The event continues with a mile-and-a-half run starting at 10:30 a.m. at American West Bank located at 261 Basin St. S.W. People who want to participate need to be at the bank by 10 a.m.

The run goes down Basin Street, takes a left at the Lee Theater and then goes down to the high school. The runners loop around the high school and then go up C Street and it ends at the Grant County PUD building.

"It's basically a short little run," Tracy said. "A lot of families do it together because it's not long and it's not grueling."

From noon until 3 p.m., there will be various children's activities at the Ephrata Recreation Center located at 112 Basin St. S.W. There will be face painting, hot dogs, cookies and hot chocolate. Also children can have their pictures taken with Santa.

"The high school dance team is doing a little short routine and having dance lessons," Tracy said. "It's just a place for kids to go and hang out for a couple of hours so mommy and daddy can shop if they choose to."

There also will be a ballet performance starting at 2 p.m. at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center at the high school at 333 Fourth Ave. N.W. in Ephrata.

Then at 5:30 p.m., there will be a lighted parade, which starts at the high school, travels down C Street, turns left on Second Street Southwest. It then travels up Basin Street until it reaches Fourth Avenue Northwest until it reaches the high school. The Christmas tree on Basin Street is also lighted and there will be fireworks.

"You never know what's coming around the corner," Tracy said. "You could have a group of boy scouts and then right behind, you could have a hay baler with lights strewn all around it."

For more information, call 509-754-4656.