By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

CALERA – Calera Main Street will offer festive features as part of the city’s Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25.

From 8:30 a.m. to noon, Downtown Calera will welcome a visit from Santa Claus that marks his fourth annual visit to the city. The visit and tour serve to encourage everyone to shop small after Black Friday and to bring more holiday shopping and traffic to small and locally owned businesses.

Santa’s visit this year is sponsored by local Realtors Alicia Anderson and Lisa Guarino from ERA King Real Estate.

“This event is very important to me as a small business myself,” Lisa Guarino said. “Our tagline is ‘Your Neighbor, Your Realtor!’ and we try to practice what we preach. Having lived in Calera for more than 15 years, I believe in supporting our fellow small businesses. We are excited about what’s ahead for our historic district and jumped at the opportunity to help out by sponsoring Santa. We have goodie bags planned, festive attire, and bells ready, it’s going to be a fun day for our community.”

The event will officially kick off at Calera’s new courtyard pavilion located at 1120 17th Avenue, Calera, AL 35040, behind the shops in historic downtown.

“Our pavilion is the first new structure of Phase One of the Downtown Development Plan,” Executive Director of Calera Main Street Jackie Batson said. “There is still some finishing work to be done, but we are thrilled that we will be able to use it for this event. We are having one of our Calera High School musical groups performing their unique style of music with Christmas carols mixed in. They will kick off the morning under the pavilion where families will gather. Children will receive sleigh bells to welcome Santa’s arrival at 9:00.”

Santa’s visit will involve multiple stops throughout town, with the first being at Creations Galore and Moore. There, Santa will introduce the Sing Cordelia Sing Vocal Studio as they present “Cookies and Carols.” He will then swing in for a visit at Adventurer’s Coffee Co. and enjoy hot cocoa and listen to and receive letters addressed to him from local children. Before departing, he will then make one last stop at Plant, Gifts and Décor for another photo opportunity.

The full schedule for the day is as follows:

• 8:30 a.m. – The band Flat Cap Boggins performs
• 9:00 a.m. – Santa arrives at the new pavilion
• 9:30 a.m. – Santa at Creations Galore and Moore for “Cookies & Carols”
• 10:45 a.m. – Santa at Adventurer’s Coffee Co. for “Letters to Santa”
• 11:15 a.m. – Santa at plant for “Pictures with Santa”
• Noon – Santa heads back to North Pole