SACO — On Saturday, 5-year-old Riley Coxen looked determined as she picked out pieces of candy to decorate her gingerbread man cookie at the home decorating store Sam’s Place on Main Street in Saco.
Coxen was among the hundreds who turned out for Saco’s annual holiday festival, organized by downtown business promotion organization Saco Spirit.
The weather cooperated and people wandered comfortably along Main Street and Pepperell Square during the afternoon, participating in a number of special activities.
In addition to cookie decorating, which was held at several locations, other festival activities included visiting with Santa at Saco City Hall, horse-drawn carriage rides, the first-ever Parade of Lights on Main Street ”“ which included nearly 30 organizations and numerous floats ”“ and a pasta and bean supper and tree lighting at Thornton Academy.
There was also a cookie walk: Sixty cookie tins were sold for a small fee and participants visited 19 merchants who handed out cookies to fill the tins.
Saco resident Justin Chenette, a Journal Tribune columnist, was one of the cookie walk participants.
“It’s a great way to discover parts of the downtown you’re not already familiar with,” said Chenette, “and a great way to promote the downtown.”
Jim Cotsis, who does custom framing at Sam’s Place, one of the stores on the cookie walk, said the festival was a good way to get children and their parents to come to the downtown and into stores they haven’t visited previously.
Johanna Hoffman, president of Saco Spirit and owner of Saco Frame Center & Gallery in Pepperell Square, said the events the downtown organization put on throughout the year ”“ like the art festival, harvest festival, car show and the holiday festival ”“ serve a two-fold purpose. They provide free, fun, family entertainment for Saco and other local residents and they bring people to the downtown, which is good for local businesses.
Hoffman’s store was also on the cookie walk. That event alone brought several hundred people into participating stores, she said.
A number of those people were visiting local stores for the first time, she said. For instance, Saco resident Greg Jaiman said he discovered Hoffman’s store on Saturday.
“Now that I actually know there’s a place to get frames, I’m going to be coming here for a couple projects I’m working on,” said Jaiman, who creates wood burnings.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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