Carriage rides, good deals and more are on the schedule this weekend for
From carriage rides, to lights, to shopping for good deals, there are holiday activities abound this weekend.
One of the most important this weekend is Small Business Saturday, celebrated nationally, but the version here at home is important this time of year.
“My favorite part about small businesses is that they create a sense of place for every community,” said Michelle Wingfield, the Montrose DART coordinator. “We have a lot of new businesses downtown now, as well as all over the city. And not only are they helping to boost our economy, but they drive what makes living in our community so special.”
Small businesses helping create the fabric of our town is why Wingfield is urging people to shop local this weekend, and the city, along with DART, are helping to make the idea of doing that even more appealing.
Residents who wan more buying power ccan participate in the city’s annual Montrose Bucks program.
For every $50 a customer purchases in Montrose Bucks, they will receive an extra $10.
The Montrose Bucks sale begins Saturday, November 25, at 10 a.m. at the Montrose Visitor Center, located at 107 South Cascade Avenue.
The promotion is limited to $400 cash ($480 Montrose Bucks) per household.
DART is offering free carriage rides downtown for Saturday, which should increase the appeal of shopping downtown.
And business owners are encouraged to promote their deals and sales this Saturday.
Wingfield says businesses can tag their posts #MontroseDART on Instagram, and DART will share their posts with the community.
“Something unique that you can only get here is we’ve got the new candy shop (Cannonball), where you can get the world’s hottest gummy bear,” Wingfield said.
Sinaloa Grill, a new restaurant on Main Street, as well as Ray’s Corner Cafe, are now open to try while people shop.
“I think that buying unique gifts that you can get in small businesses is way cooler than purchasing something off Amazon,” she said.
For more information about the Montrose Bucks program and to see a list of local participating businesses visit www.cityofmontrose.org/Bucks 

More holiday events
This year’s theme is “Holly Jolly Wrangler” for the holiday celebrations, which pays tribute to the farming and ranching history of Montrose, whose roots as an agricultural community date back to the founding of the Montrose community itself. 
The festivities begin with the annual Tree Lighting scheduled for Friday, November 24, at 5:30 p.m. on South First Street in between the historic Montrose County Courthouse and the post office. Santa will make an appearance at the Tree Lighting and will then stop by his cabin located on Main Street in the lot east of the Brooks and Brooks Law office from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Other dates include November 25, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.,  and December 9, 16, and 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Kids can drop off their letters to Santa at the cabin anytime from November 24 through December 17. 
“When we were thinking of a theme this year, it was pretty easy to settle on a way to best honor our local agricultural heritage,” said City of Montrose Pavilion and Community Events Manager Katie Schroer. “Over the years we have tried to keep the small-town feel incorporated with our holiday events, and Holly Jolly Wrangler is our way to blend our community with its history.”
The holiday events calendar culminates with the annual Parade of Lights, the illuminated tour of historic Main Street, scheduled for Saturday, December 2, at 5:30 p.m. Make sure to dress warm as dozens of floats will make their way down Main Street in front of a horse-drawn carriage carrying Santa.
See more information about the Holly Jolly Wrangler at www.cityofmontrose.org/621/Holiday-Events
For information, visit CityofMontrose.org

Some information in this article comes directly from a City of Montrose press release.

Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.