CHRIS RIGONI OF Bacco Construction puts lights on the Community Christmas Tree downtown in front of First National Bank & Trust. Several Bacco employees assisted Joey Swanson of Swanson’s Big Red Barn in setting up the tree he donated. The tree lighting ceremony will be Friday during the Iron Mountain Downtown Christmas Walk. (Michael R. Gayan photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Iron Mountain Downtown Christmas Walk and Community Christmas Tree Lighting, sponsored by the First National Bank & Trust, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday.

The event starts at 4 p.m. at the Dickinson County Library, 401 Iron Mountain St. in downtown Iron Mountain. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for photos, free of charge, that parents can take of children against a “nice backdrop” provided by the library, said Mindy Meyers, program director for the Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority.

Registration is required to reserve a slot to visit with Santa by calling the library at 906-774-1218.

The DDA then invites those attending to go through the downtown district to view the Holiday Window Decorating Contest. Participating businesses will receive ballots for shoppers to vote for their favorite window display. Voting begins Friday and extends through Dec. 18. Each window will have a QR code. Paper ballots also are available at City Hall, with the ballot box just outside. The winner of the Window Decorating Contest will receive a $500 DDA mini-grant.

The library and Friends of the Library again will feature the Story Stroll in some of the downtown storefronts. Participants will receive clues on the walk that form a message they can return to the library to receive a Christmas gift pack while supplies last.

More details about the stroll and prize pickup can be found on the library website at www.dcl-lib.org.

Attendees should return to the library at 5:30 p.m. to watch Santa and Mrs. Claus climb aboard an Iron Mountain Fire Department truck to be transported to the First National Bank outdoor plaza, accompanied by the Dickinson County Community Chorus singing Christmas carols.

The tree lighting by Santa and Mrs. Claus will take place about 6 p.m. in the outdoor plaza. Hot cider and candy canes will be provided.

As before, this year’s community Christmas tree was donated by Swanson’s Big Red Barn Holiday Events in Niagara, Wis. Bishop Baraga Catholic School will again have a live nativity display.

New this year is Sandstone Terrace, 208 E. Ludington St. in downtown Iron Mountain, will provide digital family Christmas photos by Holly Selden for $20.

“It’s super that they want to be involved in all our downtown events,” Meyers said.

The evening is far from over with the tree lighting. Thomas Niebrzydowski will perform with Tashi and Anna at the Braumart Theatre starting at 6:15 p.m. before the 7 p.m. premiere of “The Nutcracker” by the Northern Michigan Dance Academy and the Dickinson Ballet Company.

Performances also are set for 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and younger; children age 3 and younger are admitted for free.

Tickets can be purchased online at the Braumart Theatre website, www.thebraumart.org, or at the box office.

For more information on the Downtown Christmas Walk, including activities and schedules, go to downtownironmountain.com/2021christmaswalk.