Whether you can’t wait or want to hide in a closet until January, the holiday season is upon us. That means it’s time for the annual holiday events in Watonga.
One such event, the Sparkle Spree, has already kicked off. It will run all month, with entries collected on November 30.
Sparkle Spree is an easy-to-use program involving about 15 local businesses. A few other businesses are pending, so there could be 17-20 shops to utilize. Shoppers simply put their names into brightly decorated boxes after making a purchase of $25 or more. Frequent customers could enter every day if they wish, improving their odds to win.
“This is a fun way to show customers how much our local businesses appreciate them, and show the businesses how much the customers love them,” said Watonga Economic Development Authority director Kim Jenkins.
The prize drawings will be held on December 2 at the Christmas Bazaar in the Foley Building at the Blaine County Fairgrounds. One change is that the shoppers do not have to be present to win. Jenkins said that change was made to accommodate the traveling plans of residents that coincide with the holidays.
Winners will receive a $50 voucher for the store where they entered. For example, say a shopper enters the Sparkle Spree at TGC on Main Street. When their name is drawn at the Christmas Bazaar, then he or she is awarded $50 in Sparkle Bucks to use at TGC.
The Sparkle Bucks are good through December 30. That means if the winner has completed their holiday shopping by the time the drawing is held, they can feel free to treat themselves to something that caught their attention as they shopped or add a little bling to their New Year’s Eve outfit.
Another event coming up is the annual nationwide Small Business Saturday promotion. That event is slated for November 25, Thanksgiving weekend. Promotions for area small businesses are yet to be unveiled, but they will culminate that evening with the tree lighting ceremony for the City of Watonga at Centennial Park. Those details will be fully explained in an upcoming article.