Christmas coming to downtown Ruston

Christmas is scheduled to arrive in downtown Ruston at precisely 6 p.m. Thursday.

That’s when Mayor Ronny Walker and his holiday helpers will flip a ceremonial 8-foot-tall switch that turns on hundreds of white lights that make up the 33-foot-tall alllight Christmas tree in Railroad Park.

The annual Kickoff to Christmas celebration is about a week earlier than usual this year because the seasonal décor adds to the ambiance for the events planned for the holiday season, Amy Stegall, Ruston’s Main Street director and community coordinator, said.

“You’ll start seeing window painting and store decorating. It just begins to feel like a small-town Christmas,” Stegall said.

During the kick-off celebration, children will be able to visit with Santa and write letters to be mailed to the North Pole. A special mailbox will be placed near the park kiosk for children to mail their letters.

The mailbox will remain in the park throughout the pre-Christmas season.

The evening will also feature children’s choir performances on the Railroad Park stage and shopping until 8 p.m. as part of the downtown merchant’s Holiday Open House.

Horse- drawn carriage rides through the central business district start that night, as well. Rides will be available every Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. through Dec. 16. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Thursday evening’s festivities usher in more than a month of seasonal events that include musical performances, movies, a parade that will travel down part of the new Monroe Street Corridor, and 10 days of free ice skating.

Here’s a list: Nov. 17th – 7 p.m. “Princess and the Frog,” Dixie Center for the Arts; meet the characters and watch the movie.

Nov. 25th – Shop Small Saturday Nov. 30th – through Dec. 3- Ruston Community Theater Christmas Production – “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” Thurs-Sat 7 p.m. Sun 2 p.m., Dixie Center for the Arts.

Nov. 30th – Dec. 1-2, 7-9- Lincoln Lights Up the Pines drive-thru at Lincoln Parish Park, 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets $10-$20.

Dec. 2nd – Holiday Arts Tour, downtown Ruston 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Dec. 2nd – Christmas on the Farm, OWL Center, 1301 Hwy. 563, Dubach, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Dec. 7th – Downtown Sip and Stroll 5-7 p.m. and Cultural District Community Caroling event 6:30 p.m. in Railroad Park.

Dec. 8th – “Home for the Holidays” featuring Marcia Ball, Carolyn Wonderland, and Shelley King, 7 p.m., Dixie Center for the Arts.

Dec. 9th – Cookies with Santa 9 a m. -11:30 a.m. Historic Fire Station; doors close at 11 am to ensure time for everyone to get their photos.

Dec. 11th – Dec. 28 - Ice skating rink opens, Ruston Sport Complex; free admission. 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 11-14; 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dec. 16 (with 10 a.m. -11 a.m. for special needs skaters only), 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Dec. 19-21, 27-28.

Dec. 16th – Ruston Rudolph Run 5K, 8:30 a.m. Ruston Sports Complex; run winds through the complex. Registration $20 through Dec. 15; race day registration $25.

Dec. 16th – Christmas parade, 10 a.m.

Dec. 16th – John Ford Coley, Dixie Center for the Arts, 7 p.m.

Dec. 22nd – “A Christmas Carol” Christmas Movie at the Dixie, 7 p.m.