PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge parade

The Pea Ridge Christmas Parade will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. To enter, participants should line up at Community First Bank in Pea Ridge no later than 5 p.m., according to officials with Beta Alpha Sorority, the sponsor of the annual parade.

The parade will go from the four-way stop at Slack Street and Curtis Avenue to the four-way stop at Curtis Avenue and Pickens Street downtown. The Christmas Lighting Ceremony will follow.

This year’s theme is “Christmas bells are ringing.” For more information, call Linda Kitterman at 451-1363.

Christmas Lighting Ceremony

The 10th annual Pea Ridge Christmas lighting ceremony will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, following the Christmas parade. The ceremony will be held downtown on the old school grounds at the intersection of Pickens Street and North Curtis Avenue, Pea Ridge.

Pea Ridge Historical Museum

The Pea Ridge Historical Museum will be closed during its normal business hours Saturday, Dec. 5, due to the Pea Ridge Christmas Parade. The museum will be open, however, after the lighting ceremony for an open house. Refreshments will be served.

Tour of Homes

The Pea Ridge Tour of Homes, sponsored by the Pea Ridge Historical Society, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., with the exception of the Walker house - only until 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6.

There are five homes on this year’s tour. Tickets are $5 in advance or $6 at the door, and can be purchased at any of the banks in Pea Ridge, City Hall, the Pea Ridge Historical Museum on Saturdays or at The TIMES office.

For more information, call Mary Durand at 586-5574.

Christmas concert

The Pea Ridge schools Choral Department will present the annual Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, in the high school cafeteria. Holiday music will be featured by the Middle and High school choirs. The concert will last 45 minutes.

Admission is free and the public is invited to share in the choirs’ celebration of the holiday season.

Avoca Christmas Parade

AVOCA - The Avoca Country Christmas Parade, featuring the Rogers Heritage War Eagles marching band, will be held beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec.

12, with judging at 5 p.m. sharp at Latham Cabinets.

This year, canned food will be accepted to be donated to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. The drop off locations are Sunny and Hair, Latham Cabinets and the Avoca City Hall.

For more information, contact Ronnie Smith, 633-8267, Wendy Barnard, 899-8870 or Diane Bowen, 621-5921.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE LETTERS TO SANTA PROGRAM

The Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. The Pea Ridge Postmaster is authorized to respond to the letters in the program known as the Letters to Santa Program.

The program began Friday, Nov. 27, and will continue through Sunday, Dec. 13. Letters can be mailed from the Pea Ridge Post Office.

The Letters to Santa Program is a goodwill community gesture for families acrossthe nation during the holiday season. Postal employees may fulfill the request of a child in need, or the child may write directly to the North Pole, for a letter from Santa.

Your child may write a letter to the Santa address, with First Class postage on the envelope and include a return addressed envelope to the Letter to Santa Program.

A written response will be mailed and delivered to “The Parents/ Guardian of” the child.

Customers can obtain the North Pole postmark on a letter from Santa or on holiday greeting cards. To get a North Pole Postmark, address the envelopes to recipients, with a First-class stamp and a return address. If you want a letter from Santa; address the letter(s) to Santa and put them into a large envelope, affixed with a first-class stamp. For quicker service, consider Priority Mail Service or Express Mail Service, and send the package to theNORTH POLE HOLIDAY POSTMARK, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr., Anchorage, AK 99530-9998.

Letters to Santa and greeting cards should arrive in Anchorage before Dec. 15. After that date, use Express Mail Service. You will receive The North Pole Postmark on your letters and greeting cards and they will enter the mail stream at the Anchorage Post Office for delivery. These letters or greeting cards should be mailed as soon as possible.

AREA EVENTSSeligman dance

SELIGMAN, Mo.

- The Seligman Community Dance will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Seligman community building. The band will be Frosty Garland and the Road Hogs. Adults are $3, teens are free. Snacks are optional. Come and enjoy the fun. No alcohol or smoking allowed. Sponsored by the Seligman Lions Club. For more information, call 417-846-5355.

Christmas dinner

SELIGMAN, Mo.

- Seligman Chamber of Commerce and Norman Bryant foundation will host a Christmas to Remember, Saturday, Dec. 5.

There will be a choice of turkey dinners at 12:30 or 5 p.m. The chamber fed more than 425 people last year. To help with crowding, they will be serving at two different times this year. Santa will give gifts to children 12 and under and there will be door prizes for adults. This event is free to all. For more information, call 417-662-3611 or 479-841-8203.

Cassville holds dance

CASSVILLE, Mo. - The Cassville Senior Citizens monthly dance will be 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.

This monthly dance is held on the first Saturday of each month at the Cassville Senior Citizens Center, 1111 Fair St. and features The Roaring River Sounds Band. There is a $3 charge at the door. Finger foods are welcomed and all proceeds will benefit the Cassville Senior Center. For more information, call 417-847-0131.

Letters from Santa

For a donation of $5, the Pea Ridge Optimist Club will make sure that special child in your life receives their very own personalized letter from Santa. The money raised will help with cancer research and local cancer related projects. Forms are available at Arvest or Community First banks.

In order to get your letter sent before Christmas, return completed form and donation to either local bank or mail to The Pea Ridge Optimist Club, P.O. Box 824, Pea Ridge, AR.72751 by Dec. 5, 2009.

Area, Pages 11 on 12/02/2009