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The Dowagiac Chamber Choir performed at Saturday's Christmas Open House. (Submitted)

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(Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

(Maxwell Harden | Leader Publications)

DOWAGIAC — The Grand Old City brought the holiday spirit to life with a festive lineup of events to kick off the season.

The Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Christmas Open House over the weekend in downtown Dowagiac, which saw a steady stream of families witness the holiday decorations, visit with Santa and frequent local businesses.

Sponsors included Alliance Cloud Services, Ascension Borgess-Lee Hospital, Cass County Council on Aging, Hale’s Hardware, Honor Credit Union, Matthew V. Cripe DDS, Twisted Bee, SW Michigan Vision, Surf Internet and Yarn on Front.

Decorate Dowagiac hosted a Christmas Tree Lighting Friday at Beckwith Park, Santa greeted children at Venue 132 and families were able to tour the city in a horse-drawn wagon and capture the season with two special photo opportunities – a vintage truck at Beckwith Park for family photos or a pet photo session at Bow Wow Bakery & Bath, courtesy of Blueprint Photography. The Ladies Library Association hosted its Fall Book Sale and Theta Mu also hosted its 27th Annual Arts and Craft show at Dowagiac Middle School. 

Beckwith Park also featured a Holiday Showcase of Local Youth, with performances by the Dowagiac Union High School Choir, Southwestern Michigan College Choir, Green Dance Company, and the Dowagiac Union High School Band. Visitors were able to see live reindeer from the Reindeer Ranch – complete with an antler display – and enjoyed the beautiful sounds of the First United Methodist Church Chime Choir at Front & Commercial Streets.

“This is wonderful,” said Teather Uhrik of Isabella Grace LLC, 137 S. Front St., a crafting retreat center that hosted its soft opening during Christmas Open House weekend in the former Round Oak Revisited building. “We didn’t expect this to be like a Hallmark movie, which is what it feels like today. It’s really wonderful; we love that they constantly have stuff going on in the city. The downtown area is not forgotten about like other places. It seems like they really do a good job promoting the surrounding area and all the business owners. We’re excited to be part of the community. We love this little town.”

More Christmas fun is on the way with the annual Christmas Parade, which will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday Dec. 6 downtown.

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