CHICKASHA – The temperature is in the 90s and the sun is shining bright, but it’s still Christmastime in Chickasha. Well, sort of.
Five months before Santa gets out the red sleigh to deliver gifts, the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce will be passing out a few presents of their own with the first Christmas Cool Down Concert & Block Party set for 5 p.m. Saturday, July 24 in downtown Chickasha.
During July, chamber and Economic Development Council officials hosted events throughout town aimed at encouraging residents to shop local. That effort concludes with the concert and party, which will be held in front of the 40-foot inflatable Leg Lamp located near the Rock Island Depot.
“The 40-foot award-winning Leg Lamp was such a huge hit during December, it is the perfect backdrop for our Christmas in July grand finale,” said Cassandra Ersland, Chickasha chamber president. “Christmas is about giving, and we are thrilled to be able to give back to our community by hosting this free event.”
The initial Christmas in July promotion was held last year to encourage residents to shop local. This year, the chamber wanted to include the block party and concert as a final event to the Christmas in July extravaganza.
“Chickasha is known as a Christmas town and why not have it year-round,” Ersland said. “We want people to shop local all year long. We want to build on the success from last year.”
The feedback from merchants in 2020 and again this year has been encouraging for the chamber’s program.
“There’s been nothing but positive comments. It was incredible,” Ersland added.
Some of the Christmas in July events included scavenger hunts with chamber officials announcing a movie theme on Facebook each week. Residents were charged with finding a famous Christmas movie character at participating businesses and taking a photo with it. Residents were required to post the photo on social media, and write where the photo was taken. A weekly winner was drawn from all of the entries.
Participating businesses were also open late each Thursday in July, giving customers more time to shop. In addition, the Chickasha Community Theatre and the Economic Development Council presented Christmas movies each Thursday at the Washita Theater. The movies were The Grinch, The Polar Express, Elf and A Christmas Story. The Chickasha Community Theatre sold concessions as a fundraiser.
All of Saturday’s activities are free, family-friendly and include kid’s arts and crafts by the Chickasha Area Arts Council, photos with Summer Santa, face painting, a free snow cone social, three large inflatable waterslides, food trucks and a live remote with KOOL 105.5 FM. This portion of the event begins at 5 p.m.
Billy Davis and the Band of Brothers will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Imaginaries at 8:30 p.m. and a small fireworks finale over downtown.
After the party, visitors can swing by Shannon Springs Park to view the Festival of Light Christmas Tree, lit every night to celebrate Christmas in July.
For more details, visit chickashachamber.com.