ESCANABA — Santa Claus is going to be busy this weekend in Escanaba. Two Christmas events that have entertained families for years are being held — Christmas in the Village and the Christmas Parade.

The Christmas Parade is Friday night and Christmas in the Village will be held Friday and Saturday.

The Steam and Gas Engine Association is once again holding its annual Christmas open house in the Antique Village Friday and Saturday. Friends and families can meet in the village to enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas celebration from noon to 7 p.m. Friday. The village is located on the U.P. State Fairgrounds.

“Every year we see a lot of people from in and out of town joining us for a really nice family outing,” said Steam and Gas Engine Association President Skip Dufour. “Kids will be able to make snowmen and have a snow ball fight with the snow we have now.”

Dufour said the pathways to walk on will be clear of snow and there will be bonfires to warm up by if needed. Christmas carolers will sing in the chapel and gazebo, while wagon rides take place on the fairgrounds.

“This year we’re using a tractor to pull the wagon instead of horses to keep the animals safe from slipping,” said Dufour.

The village will have many handmade items in the shops and all buildings will be heated and open for patrons to enter. There will be a cookie sale and the Cook Shack will be open to provide hot food and beverages.

Christmas in the Village opens again Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and continues with a festive atmosphere. Santa Claus will be back Saturday to speak with children of all ages.

“It’s about kids, just an old fashioned christmas,” said Dufour. “Bring your kids to the village, it’s always a good family friendly time.”

There is no charge for admission into the village, but guests are encouraged to donate a new toy or a nonperishable food item and place it in one of the collection boxes. There will be a can raffle for prizes and a quilt raffle. The quilt was made and donated by the Sisters of Steam.

In addition, the new Commerce Center will be open during the hours of Christmas in the Village.

“Guests are encouraged to stop by and check out the new building and warm up with hot beverages and Christmas cookies,” said Delta County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vickie Micheau.

As the first day ends in the Antique Village, families and friends can make their way downtown to the watch the Christmas Parade, starting at 7 p.m. Friday night. This year’s theme is a “Disney Christmas”. The parade will start from the Catherine Bonifas Civic Center, located at 225 21st St. N., and end at the Escanaba City Hall, 410 Ludington Street.

Tanya Ettenhofer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area executive director, organizes and chairs the parade with the assistance of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and City of Escanaba. The recent snowstorm has left Ettenhofer concerned about the amount of snow in the areas she plans to stage parade entrants. Lining up the parade entries may be a little tougher this year, according to Ettenhofer.

“The parking lots are full of snow right now and that’ll make it a little difficult to line up for the parade. We’ll just work through it,” she said. “Thursday I’ll re-evaluate the lineup. Each year I try to mix it up by spacing floats out between other entries and keep bands far enough apart. Santa will be at the end.”

Approximately 50 participants will fill out the parade. Float submissions have an opportunity to win cash prizes.

“We have floats, walkers, vehicles, and the Escanaba High School Band and the Escanaba City Band, and Santa Claus,” said Ettenhofer. “There will be hot chocolate and cookies at City Hall.”

The DDA, located at 1025 Ludington St., will also provide hot chocolate and cookies to patrons during the parade.

“The parade is a nice family festive event,” said DDA Director Ed Legault. “We will have hot chocolate and cookies available and our restrooms will be open for the public … and the children will get to see Santa Claus along the parade route.”

During the parade the Amateur Radio Association will collect nonperishable food items from parade goers, and U.S. Postal Workers will collect letters to Santa, while walking along the parade route.