HUMBOLDT — The official start to Humboldt’s holiday shopping season begins tomorrow.
Moonlight Madness starts at 5 p.m. on Nov. 18 and goes until 9 p.m. The event always runs the week before Black Friday.
“The holiday shopping season has always been a very important one for retailers and is often the difference of whether a local business remains viable,” said Jamie Richardson, the Humboldt Downtown Business Improvement District’s president.
“I would like to thank our community for supporting our downtown and local businesses and encourage everyone to check out all that our local businesses have to offer.”
Brent Walker, the president of the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce, said Moonlight Madness is a great opportunity to take advantage of some great local deals and get some of your Christmas shopping done while supporting local businesses.
“The owners of local businesses support local events, sports teams and charities in our community and buying local keeps four times the money in the economy compared to shopping at chains,” he said.
At 5:30 p.m., at the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce campground, there will be a ceremonial Christmas tree lighting, with Mayor Michael Behiel, Richardson and Walker throwing the candy cane switch. A choir from St. Dominic School will perform a few songs.
Behiel said he’s proud to be part of the tree lighting and Moonlight Madness.
“It helps support our citizens and community groups and provides us with an economic base that keeps our city thriving and a preferred place to live,” he said. “I encourage all to come out and support our local merchants as they strive to bring you all that you need to make Humboldt the best place to live, work and play.”
Richardson said he’s pleased to be partnering with the city and chamber for the tree lighting.
“After almost two years of social distancing and gathering restrictions, I have gained a deeper appreciation of being able to celebrate events our community whenever we can.”
Graham Dyck will perform on the Humboldt and District Museum steps from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Humboldt and District Gallery will offer free hot chocolate and candy canes as they launch the Festival of Wreaths.
Some lucky downtown shoppers will be handed $5 in BID Bucks that can be redeemed at participating businesses. The BID Bucks can only be redeemed during Moonlight Madness.
‘It’s just a way to draw more people into the businesses,” said Brent Fitzpatrick, the Humboldt Downtown Business Improvement District’s executive director. “It's a really easy thing for us to do and it allows us to just walk around downtown. What could be more fun than handing out $5 to people and just saying, ‘you can go into that store right now and buy something for $5, and it's free?’”
