Bells on Basin to bring holiday cheer to Ephrata
Participants wave to the crowd at the 2022 Bells on Basin parade. Bells on Basin 2023 is Dec. 9.
FILE PHOTO
EPHRATA — A parade to light up the town, breakfast with Santa, popcorn and live music at the community Christmas tree. There’s a lot going on in Ephrata on Dec. 9 as the community celebrates “Bells on Basin.”
It’s sponsored by the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce.
Santa will be hosting breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Ephrata Recreation Center, 112 Basin St. SW. He will be available for pictures with children and for consultation on Christmas wishes. Breakfast is free.
The annual Jingle Bell Fun Run starts at 9 a.m. Runners will have their choice of a one-mile or five-kilometer course.
Children will have the chance to get their Polar Express Passports filled out from 10 a.m. to noon at participating businesses throughout town. The passports are available at the ERC; families take them to the businesses, get a stamp and participate in games and activities along the way.
Children can mail their letters to Santa, get a picture taken with the Grinch, play some Christmas bingo and get their faces painted, among other things. Children who fill out their passport and return it to the rec center will be entered in a drawing for a Polar Express train set.
Adults will have the chance to partake of a little wine and paint a gnome at the “Sip ‘n Paint” taught by Nadiya Lakoduk from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the rec center. Participants must be 21 years of age; there is a fee, and people can register on the Chamber website, www.ephratachamber.org.
Parents and children can learn how to make a charcuterie tray at the rec center in a class from 3 to 4:40 p.m. Advance registration is required and is available on the chamber website. There is a fee.
Cocoa and popcorn will be served at the rec center from 4 to 4:45 p.m., prior to the lighting of the community tree and the Bells on Basin parade. Live music is scheduled for the tree lighting at about 4:45 p.m.
The parade rolls down the street at 5 p.m. Participants will assemble at Second Avenue NW and C Street NW. A registration form is available on the chamber’s website.