Christmas season begins with a dash in Muskego

Muskego - A country Christmas was never like this.

A lion, a grinch, a cockroach, a monkey and many more incompatible characters will line up at the starting line for the first-ever mascot Christmas Gift Dash at Muskego's Country Christmas Saturday.

Divided into two relay teams, they will race to see which can get a pile of oversized Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree at the Muskego Settlement Center, S8074 Racine Ave.

"It's going to be so fun," predicted Tina Weiss, executive director of the Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce, the event's organizer and sponsor.

Parade and pantry

The mascot Christmas Gift Dash will be at 1:45 p.m. just after the Christmas parade.

The parade steps off at 1 p.m. at Janesville Road and heads down Pioneer Drive to the Settlement Center. New to the merry procession will be marchers from the Muskego food pantry who will be costumed as foodstuffs. They will be pulling a wagon inviting the crowd to donate nonperishable food.

At the celebration, the food pantry will have a place for patrons to drop in donations. New this year will be a Christmas toy drive.

Settling in for the party

After the parade and Christmas Gift Dash, the Settlement Center will be the place to be from 2 to 5 p.m.

A visit with Santa Claus is part of the event, and parents who bring their cameras will be able to get shots of their little ones whispering their hearts' desires into his ear.

At the reindeer area, a professional photographer will capture the moments at hand.

Historical talks will focus on old Muskego in the Wollman House, and the Muskego Historical Society will give out handmade Christmas ornaments, while supplies last, in the lower level of the Town Hall.

And there will be lots of holiday music. The Muskego High School Midnight Men choir will perform at 2:15 p.m. followed by carolers at 3:15 p.m. Also, there will be acoustic holiday music throughout the afternoon.

A puppet show is slated for 2:30 p.m. and story telling at 2:50 p.m.

A Live Nativity will once again be presented by the hardy souls at Muskego Apostolic Tabernacle at 3 and 4 p.m.

For those who want to take in the happy scene in fine fashion, there will be carriage rides, haywagon rides and kiddie train rides, for a fee.

All through the celebration, plenty of food will be available - from snacks and treats to substantial sandwiches, holiday wine and beer. Also, a Candy Shoppe will likely do a brisk business all afternoon.

The merriment will climax in a tree lighting at 4:45 p.m.

A homemade ballad

After the holiday lights are aglow, Muskego resident Mark Strehlow, who will be one of the musicians offering the acoustic holiday music, will step forward to perform a ballad about Muskego that he composed himself.

"It's really beautiful," Weiss said. "It brought tears to my eyes."

- Jane Ford-Stewart

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Muskego's Country Christmas

WHEN: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19

WHERE: Muskego Settlement Center, S8074 Racine Ave., with a 1 p.m. parade down Pioneer Drive from Janesville to the Settlement

COST: free, and a free shuttle from noon to 5 p.m. starting at Piggly Wiggly to the parade route, Lion's Park/Pioneer Drive and Settlement Center