Make it a holiday tradition to start the Christmas season off with a little hometown flair. The 7th Annual Christmas on Mercer Street will return Saturday, December 3rd to the small and quaint downtown setting in Dripping Springs. The whole area will sparkle with lights, decorations, and excitement. Admission is free to the public.

For the first time ever, the YMCA will coordinate their Fit for Change 5K Run with the Christmas on Mercer Street celebration. The run begins at the Springs Family Branch YMCA at 8 am. Awards, prizes, and trophies will be presented at 10 am at the Christmas on Mercer Street festival.

Following the award presentation, downtown festivities will kick off with daylong activities including free music and live performances, arts and crafts booths, a trackless train and pony rides for kids, photos with Santa, and mouth-watering food and drinks. With Mercer Street closed off to traffic, you will have room to stroll with your family and friends while enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday season. Providing a nostalgic reminder of Christmas past, Santa and his Clydesdale-drawn carriage will make an impressive appearance that you will love and your kids will never forget.

Dripping Springs area merchants will welcome visitors with a Hill Country Holiday Gift Tour and Open House. For only $25, you can purchase a festive holiday treasure box with a map to each participating store. At the end of the tour, your box will be filled to the brim with holiday gifts to keep or give away. With limited supplies available, please pre-register by calling Jennifer Minigh at 512-394-9222. Last year, the treasure boxes were sold out!

The highlight of the evening will be the annual Lighting of the Tree which will be held at the Triangle at 6:15 p.m. Christmas carolers representing local churches and schools will serenade with heart-warming, traditional Christmas Carols.

Hosted by the City of Dripping Springs and Dripping Springs Lions Club, Christmas on Mercer Street activities are primarily paid for by sponsorships, and individual and business donations. The admission to the festival continues to be free because of the sponsors, community organizations, businesses, and individuals who so generously provide festival security, sanitation, barricades, trash pick-up, and other services for the event.

Event Sponsors Are Needed. Sponsorships are available at various levels of support. Sponsorship forms are located on the homepage of the City of Dripping Springs website at www.cityofdrippingsprings.com, or stop by the City Hall on Mercer Street to pick one up. Please respond by October 28th as the publicity program for the festival will begin.

Interested Vendors should call the City Hall at 512-858-4725 to reserve your 10’ x 10’ booth now. For early reservation, sign up before October 28th and receive a discounted rate of $45 for non-electric booths or $55 for booths with electricity. Vendor forms are also available at the City’s website at www.cityofdrippingsprings.com.

To pre-register for the YMCA 5K Run online, go to the YMCA website at www.austinymca.org or contact the Springs Family Branch YMCA at (512) 894-3309.