Dexter Chamber of Commerce Plans Winter Fest Celebration

Local businesses are getting in the holiday spirit early this year with an inaugural Winter Fest celebration Nov. 26 in downtown Dexter.

Winter Fest will take place from 1-7 p.m. the Saturday after Thanksgiving and will feature a mini Christmas tree display, caroling and the lighting of the village Christmas tree in .

"Retailers approached the chamber about finding a way to draw people into downtown businesses and restaurants as the holiday shopping season heads under way," said Abby Erickson, executive director of the . "The Winter Fest is our way of trying to engage the business community without asking them to spend extra money or working any harder than they already do."

The event will also be held in conjunction with American Express' Small Business Saturday promotion, which emphasizes the importance of shopping locally.

Erickson said downtown Main Street will be lined with Christmas trees, donated by the and decorated by local businesses to attract customers. In addition, the Dexter Area Historical Society will provide a vintage sleigh for children to take pictures with Santa from 2-4 p.m. in Monument Park. At 5 p.m., the annual community tree lighting will take place along with caroling in the park.

"In the past, the tree lighting took place following the event in December, but we heard from residents that they would like to have the tree lit longer prior to Christmas," Erickson said.

As part of this year's festivities, the chamber will once again host its window-decorating contest, in which local businesses compete for "bragging rights" for the best-dressed holiday window. The deadline to register for the contest is Monday. Those who want to participate should call the chamber at 734-426-0887 or email info@dexterchamber.org.

"Last year, we had about 20 businesses participate, and we're hoping for at least that many this year," Erickson said.

Windows should be decorated in time for Winter Fest to allow shoppers time to vote on their favorite via online survey. The winner of the contest will be announced after Christmas.

For more information about Winter Fest, visit the chamber's website, dexterchamber.org.