Christmas in Ida Festival and Parade making its grand return Dec. 3-4

Staff reports
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A float from a previous Christmas in Ida Parade of Lights is shown. The annual event is Dec. 3-4 this year.
A float from a previous Christmas in Ida Parade of Lights is shown. The annual event is Dec. 3-4 this year.

IDA -- The 39th-annual Christmas in Ida Festival and Parade of Lights is making a full-event return Dec. 3-4.

“It will be a grand return of the festival, which has won Midwest acclaim,” said State Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, who serves as the event's executive director.

The Parade of Lights will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4 and will include the 125th U.S. Army Marching Band, Gold Star Families and the Adrian College Marching Band.

A 7 p.m. Friday Commemorative Concert will feature the Siena Heights University Chamber Singers on Dec. 3.

Country music performer Tracy Byrd will headline at 5 p.m. Dec. 4. Byrd is known for hits like “Keeper of the Stars,” “Watermelon Crawl” and “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo.” Byrd has charted more than 30 hits singles in his career, including 11 Top 10 songs.

Opening for Byrd will be Presley & Taylor. The act will perform the Young Country Concert at 4 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Ida Township parking lot.

The Saturday concert typically draws 15,000.

Also offered are craft and vendor sale, food vendors, Sled Races to benefit area children, Holiday Art on the Avenue, children’s lunch with Santa, Santa’s Zoo, Christmas in Ida Theater Center, Santa and Mrs. Claus, an outdoor theater, holiday art, Ida Christmas Mall, Holiday Hounds on Parade, children’s crafts free carriage rides, ice sculpting and chain saw art and fireworks.

On the Net: www.christmasinida.com

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Christmas in Ida Festival making full-event return Dec. 3-4