Miracle on Main Street coming to Ephrata Saturday
File photo The Ephrata Fire Department truck was ablaze (so to speak) with lights for the Miracle on Main Street parade last year. This year’s parade is Saturday.
EPHRATA — From a food drive to scavenger hunt to the annual parade, there will be a lot of holiday activity in Ephrata Saturday. Events are scheduled all day long in the annual Miracle on Main Street, culminating in the annual parade.
Alas, there will be no fireworks following the parade in 2018.
The day starts with Breakfast with Santa from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Ephrata Recreation Center, 112 Southwest Basin Street. Tickets are $4 per person. A backdrop will be set up, and parents can take pictures of the kids with the jolly old elf. People can register in advance at the city’s website or pay at the door.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will be conducting a food drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot at Moore Furniture, 328 Basin St. SW. Food collected is donated to the Ephrata Food Bank.
A downtown scavenger hunt is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants can pick up a list of clues at Pita Pit, 26 Basin St. NW. Participants then track the clues around town and take a picture, pick up a business card – something to show they solved the puzzle.
Librarians will be telling holiday stories during a special storytime from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ephrata Public Library. The library is located at 45 Northwest Alder St.
Christmas Bingo is scheduled at Pita Pit from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
The annual Jingle Bell Fun Run is scheduled for 3 p.m., with racers assembling at 261 Basin Street SW. Runners have their choice of a one-mile or five-kilometer course. Racers can sign up online through Friday, and registration forms also are available at Ephrata City Hall. Same-day registration is from 2 to 2:45 p.m. There’s a costume contest for runners, with prizes for the top three entries. Judging is at 2:30 p.m. For both races the course goes down Basin Street to the Lee Theater; the one-mile course turns around there, while the 5K course goes on Frey Road and along the irrigation canal.
The Christmas Basin Bells will perform at Pita Pit before and after the parade.
The Lighted Holiday Parade begins at 5 p.m., starting from the Ephrata High School parking lot. Lineup begins at 4 p.m.
Parade participants are asked to refrain from throwing candy from vehicles, if they want to distribute candy, and instead have somebody walk along the curb and hand it out.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.