Jacksonville is gearing up for a big weekend for small businesses.
Small Business Saturday will feature several local retail locations in the downtown area according to Jacksonville Main Street’s Judy Tighe: “Small Business Saturday is so great every year, and this year we are doing our fourth annual Santa Stroll. There are some Santa Hats still available, and the great things is a lot of these hundreds of dollars worth of coupons are actually good beyond Small Business Saturday. You can only get the coupons in the Santa Hat. A lot of wonderful local businesses are involved in that activity. It’s a win-win for supporting local business and people are getting great deals on Christmas gifts for their families.”
The Santa Hats are still available at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Office, Jacksonville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jacksonville Main Street Office, and County Market. Cost is $10. The hats include coupons from over 30 businesses.
Things will kick off in the holiday spirit this evening with a parade.
Tighe says Heart of Jacksonville is hosting Santa Clause for the holiday parade on the square tonight: “Santa is coming. He will be in the parade, and then, Santa might make appearances elsewhere throughout the Christmas season. You just never know. He’s going to be around, even though he won’t be in his house this year. He’s going to be watching, but he’s just not going to be making any formal appearances in taking requests. I would suggest everyone write him a letter this year.”
Heart of Jacksonville will also host Santa for a breakfast on Saturday, December 11th from 9:30-12:30 at the Elks Club. The parade steps off tonight at 6PM.