LELAND — The Leland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Cocktails and Candy Canes, a festive shopping event which will be held in the 100 block of East Third Street in Historic Downtown Leland, Friday, Nov. 8 from 5-8 p.m.
Leland Chamber of Commerce executive director Mary Anne Brocato said the idea was stemmed from some of the merchants along Third Street who wanted to do something similar.
“Besides the businesses that are in the chamber, we have about 12 to 14 vendors that are going to be here, so we’re excited about that,” she said.
This holiday open house will feature chamber businesses including A&A Pharmacy, Leland Café, Leland Nutrition, Lina’s Interiors, Little Bales of Cotton, The Henson Exhibit, The Mississippi Wildlife Museum, Up-town Girls and A.A.R.F.
Additionally, other local vendors will be selling pottery, gifts and home décor, photography, jewelry, plants, flowers and succulents, homemade breads, dips and other goodies, make-up and facial products, bakery items, books, specialty coffee blends, boutique clothing, barbecue and Italian ice cream.
“We’re going to have some food vendors so people can come have something to eat, get a glass of wine,” she said, noting each store will feature something different. “It’s just going to be a fun time.”
Delta Outdoor Theater will be on-hand providing Christmas music and a light show during the event.
“It should be Christmasy and festive,” Brocato said.
If the weather is too cold, Brocato said the event will move indoors at the Leland Progress, 117 E. Third St.
“We will just watch and see,” she said.
Christmas on Deer Creek
With this new event taking place this year, Brocato said there will not be any pop-up shops during the Christmas on Deer Creek event.
“In the past, we’ve done pop-up shops on the day of Christmas on the Creek and it’s just too much in one day,” she said.
Another change this year will be the dates of the holiday event. This year’s Christmas on Deer Creek will move up a week from its usual weekend from the first weekend in December and take place Nov. 29-30.
This year’s two-day event will begin at 5 p.m. Nov. 29 with a holiday musical acappella performance by the Mennonite Chorus at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Leland Thompson House.
New this year, there will be a children’s Christmas parade starting at 3 p.m. Nov. 30 for children ages 12 and younger to participate in. The only requirement for being in the parade is all participants and vehicles must be dressed and decorated in Christmas-themed attire.
The set up will start around 2:45 p.m. and the parade behind Leland City Hall will move around downtown.
From 4:30-6 p.m., there will be singers and bands on-hand to sing Christmas melodies. As usual, Santa will make his way down Deer Creek at 6 p.m.
After Santa gets off his sleigh, he will head over to the Methodist Church for children to take pictures with him. Unlike years’ past, there will not be a chili supper to coincide the picture-taking.
