Light it up

Whether it's with a homemade sign or a loud holler, local children will have to get creative to share their wish lists with Santa Claus this year.

Lap visits with the jolly ol' elf have been canceled in Hartley due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Good boys and girls need not fret, however, as Santa and Mrs. Claus will be traversing the City With a Heart Saturday during the Hartley Chamber of Commerce's first-ever light parade.

"Since kids can't visit him, this was kind of a last-minute way to bring Santa to our community," explained Chamber board member Rachel Wilson. "Right now, we've got the fire department and ambulance planning to lead the route. If there are any entrants who would like to decorate their cars with lights or other Christmas stuff, we welcome them."

The parade will begin at the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School at 5:30 p.m. The exact route will be posted to the Chamber's Facebook page.

"It's going to be a similar route to the teacher parade in the spring," Wilson said.

Santa and Mrs. Claus usually greet local children and field wish lists at the Hartley Public Library each December. The Chamber of Commerce's annual holiday vendor fair is also typically held on the same weekend, but it has been shelved this year due to the pandemic as well.

If they haven't done so already, Hartley residents are encouraged to deck out their homes and yards in lights to help brighten things up around town. Wilson said the main goal of the parade is to spread a little Christmas cheer without needing to worry about breaking COVID-19 protocols.

"Let's give ourselves a couple months [until a vaccine is available]," she said.