AMHERST — Making the downtown streets brighter and more festive during the holiday season, including restringing the lights on the Merry Maple tree, has been a focus for the Amherst Business Improvement District.
On Friday, the tree on the Town Common will be lit at 5 p.m. as part of the annual Merry Maple ceremony.
The event starts at 3 p.m. with an hour-long open house at the Central Fire Station and continues at 4 p.m. with a storytime with Jones Library youth services head Mia Cabana at Amherst Books, said Amherst BID Executive Director Gabrielle Gould. Cabana will read from several books, including “Winter Candle” by Jeron Ashford, “Tap the Magic Tree” by Christie Matheson and “Chanukah Lights Everywhere” by Michael Rosen.
Also at 4 p.m., horse-drawn carriage rides provided by Muddy Brook Farm will begin, with the middle school chorus performing on the steps on Town Hall at 4:30 p.m.
Those activities all precede the 5 p.m. lighting of the large tree by Gould and Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is sponsoring cider and doughnuts.
Then Santa will arrive on a firetruck, escorted by the UMass Minuteman Marching Band. After the lighting, Santa will be at the Amherst History Museum from 6 to 7 p.m. for photographs with children.
The following day is 20% Off Downtown Amherst, with several businesses participating in what was formerly known as Pack the Sack Day, and Greeting Card Day. There is free parking downtown on the four Saturdays leading up to Christmas.
Gould said the effort to get downtown ready for the holidays has included installing large, one-foot diameter lighted snowflakes on top of poles throughout downtown, and wrapping the poles with what she calls “greenery swag” with gold ribbons, a project the BID received assistance from the Sigma Phi Kappa sorority in installing. In addition, Andrew’s Greenhouse placed greens in the baskets that have flowers during the summer.
Gould said putting more lights on trees at Sweetser and Kendrick parks, which will be lit at the same time as the Merry Maple, is another aspect of welcoming people to Amherst center.
“We want to create more of a winter wonderland as we move along,” Gould said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
