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  JOLLY GRAND JUNCTION
Each holiday season, the store sells helpings of its signature "Polar Express Hot Chocolate," which shop owner Mark Smith says was inspired by the classic Christmas tale for which it is named. Smith and his wife, Missy, used to read "The Polar Express" to their children, and a line in the book describing hot cocoa "as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars" gave him the idea to experiment with such a recipe. Combining three different types of chocolate with cream and other ingredients, Smith has perfected the drink described in the book. "We sell a lot of it for the Parade of Lights," Smith says. "We have a line out the door." Main Street Bagels has been serving the rich delight for about a decade, and to some people, it has become as much a part of the downtown Grand Junction holiday tradition as the many events that happen in this great Colorado city between Thanksgiving and Christmas. From the
Hundreds of children and their parents gather downtown on the Friday after Thanksgiving at 5 p.m. for the holiday tree-lighting ceremony and the official arrival of Santa Claus. The event takes place at Fourth and Main streets, in front of Wells Fargo Bank. The Wells Fargo Christmas tree is lit, and at the same time thousands of tiny lights on the trees that line downtown Grand Junction's six-block Main Street shopping district also twinkle to life. The lights shine each night through the holiday season, illuminating the sidewalks and century-old storefronts in the downtown area. Santa arrives during the tree-lighting ceremony. In past years, the jolly old fellow has descended from the bank's roof and greeted the children eagerly awaiting his arrival. Snacks and hot drinks are be sold by local elementary-school students, and live Christmas music is played. Also kicking off the Friday after Thanksgiving is the building- and window-decorating contest
Holiday music is in plentiful supply downtown throughout the season. Each Saturday from Thanksgiving to Christmas from noon to 4 p.m., local school groups and musicians entertain shoppers as part of the Holiday Sounds concert series. The Winter Festival, a day of tasty treats, awaits downtown visitors the first Saturday in December. Local nonprofit organizations set up booths to sell drinks and goodies to shoppers for the rest of the day, until the Parade of Lights begins rolling down Main Street at 5 p.m. The light parade is a glittering two-hour procession that attracts over 100 floats. Each year brings a new theme with parade judges sitting in front of Wells Fargo Bank. Spectators should dress warmly and arrive early, and snacks and hot drinks are available from sidewalk vendors and nonprofit organizations. Main Street's history is highlighted in the annual Holiday Chocolate Walk in mid December. Guides give walking tours of the downtown area, and participants who register and pay through the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department (970-254-3866) will receive commemorative mugs filled with coffee, hot chocolate or hot cider. For more information about holiday events in downtown Grand Junction, Colorado, visit www.downtowngj.org |
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