Fun Family in Northern Chautauqua County
By Darlene Brace
To kick off the holiday season, there are two festive holiday events taking place in Northern Chautauqua County.
Dunkirk – Small Business
Holiday Market, Nov. 30
On Saturday November 30th, 2024, Christmas on Central-Small Business Holiday Market will be taking place in downtown Dunkirk from 11am- 6pm. Most of the downtown merchants will be open and many will have extended hours and specials. In addition to the local businesses, over 75 craft vendors will be set up at several locations inside and outside on Central Avenue such as the Northern Chautauqua Central School, the Elks Club, and more. With all the stores and vendors, it will surely be a great place to do a lot of your holiday shopping. When you have worked up an appetite from all your shopping, there will a be a variety of food vendors in Central Avenue area as well.
Besides shopping, there will be many special Christmas activities taking place at or near the Dunkirk City Hall at 342 Central Avenue. Here there will be free horse drawn wagon rides provided by Laff ‘N’ Lyon Ranch from 12- 4pm. Nearby, Santa will arrive with Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, and the elves to visit with you from 1- 5pm. (Bring your phone for some great photo opportunities for you and your family.)
Christmas activities taking place at or
near the Dunkirk City Hall at 342 Central
Avenue. Here there will be free horse drawn
wagon rides provided by Laff ‘N’ Lyon Ranch
from 12- 4pm. Nearby, Santa will arrive with
Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, and the elves to visit
with you from 1- 5pm. (Bring your phone for
some great photo opportunities for you and
your family.)
Another location that will be having special Christmas activities will be the Stearns Building at 338 Central Ave (formerly the P&G). This will be the location for the City of Dunkirk’s Gingerbread House displays. For this activity, business co-workers will have built (ahead of time) and submitted gingerbread replicas of their company to be displayed from 11am-6pm. You must register by November 18, 2024.
Also, near the Stearns Building, there will be Holiday Ice Sculpture Carvings from 11am-3pm, provided by Jamestown Ice and Storage. Inside the building there will be cookie frosting for children from 11am-3pm. There will also be holiday craft making at the Northern Chautauqua Central School and free hot cocoa at the Central Station Restaurant.
Live music will also be held near the City Hall throughout the afternoon. At 11am, you can enjoy easy listening rock music from the band Footsteps, followed by the multi-instrumental duo Slim and Red at 1pm. At 3pm, DJ Joe Gould will be playing some of your favorite tunes to entertain the crowd. From 5pm-5:30pm, holiday dancers will perform holiday routines. To conclude the event, they will be having the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
This is a festive community event that has activities for the whole family to enjoy. A map of shopping and activities will soon be available. You can also check Facebook for an updated schedule of events.
Fredonia-
Miracle on Main, Dec. 7
The following Saturday, December 7th, Fredonia will be having its annual Miracle on Main Street Festival. Most of this festival’s activities will take place at or near Barker Commons and the American Legion Post 59. The day will start off with a Breakfast with Santa at the Fredonia First United Methodist Church on Church Street from 10am-12pm. There will be time to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, so this will be a perfect time to take pictures of you and your family during your visit.
The American Legion Post 59, located at 156 Main Street, will have several activities taking place. From 10am-3pm there will be a holiday craft show and vendors for you to shop at for Christmas gifts. It will also include a children’s craft workshop and basket raffles. Donut decorating by Tim Horton’s will be from 11am-3pm. Santa and Mrs. Clause will be making another appearance at the legion from 2pm-4pm.
Your children can enjoy story times with Mrs. Claus at the Next Chapter Bookstore at 12 Park Place from 12pm-12:30 and with Santa from 12:30pm-1pm at the Darwin R. Barker Library at 7 Day Street.
Next your family will be in for a special holiday treat as The Fredonia Opera House will be hosting a free showing of the Christmas adventure The Polar Express, starting at 4pm. You and your family will be mesmerized as you watch this timeless classic that depicts the Christmas spirit.
The conclusion of this festival will take you back to Barker Commons. At 6pm, Santa will arrive, and the annual lighting of the village tree will take place. It’s sure to be an exciting day for all that attend. For an updated list of the schedule of events, go to festiivalsfredoniany.org or their Facebook page.
Both of these Northern Chautauqua County Christmas festivals embody the spirit and meaning of Christmas. It’s all about getting involved by supporting the community, and everyone will be having fun making memories with their loved ones. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to all.