BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON – Each year, the Village of Canton offers its own version of Black Friday geared for area children as a prelude to Christmas.

The day after Thanksgiving is Santa’s Holiday of Lights, a tradition for the past 40 years or so in Canton. Festivities get underway at 6 p.m.

“Santa will give you a book and a candy cane and there will be sleigh wagon rides, music, hot chocolate and cookies,” noted Brad Mintener in his annual advertisement for the event. Dress warmly and we will see you at the Canton Village Green.”

Santa will arrive at the park on a horse-drawn sleigh then greet a large number of children with their parents. Santa will be joined at the park by Frosty and his friends.

The Holiday of Lights serves as the kickoff to a host of holiday-themed events throughout December and into the new year.

The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce has created a special shop local campaign titled “Holly Jolly Canton.”

“This holiday season, we are looking to pursue a cooperative shop local marketing campaign, “Holly Jolly Canton.” In addition to promoting shopping locally, we want to market Canton (town-wide) as the jolliest place to be during the holiday season,” said Katie Berry, Canton Coordinator & Communications Specialist, in an email to North Country This Week.

There are several ways for local businesses to get involved, noted Berry.

Decorate your storefronts by Dec. 4 to be entered in a contest and business owners are asked to let Berry know if they plan to participate.

Host seasonal events and activities that are fun for the community and encourage shoppers to come through your doors. Suggestions from the county chamber include promotional offers/bundles, seasonal events, demonstrations and workshops, sampling days, stay open later one day a week, seasonal drink and food offerings at local eateries, offer gift wrapping, create a shopping challenge, and anything that benefits the business and its customers.

Berry says the county chamber is there to help promote the seasonal events and activities.

The chamber website website: https://bit.ly/HollyJollyCanton24, will include all things shared with Berry and a link to the Canton Business Directory.

Another seasonal promotion of the Canton Gift Certificate Program.

“This is a great opportunity for our community to support local businesses while shopping for friends, family, co-workers, and more,” Berry remarked.

Local businesses are encouraged to be a redemption location. The county chamber has sold $2,000 worth of Canton Gift Certificates since its soft launch in April 2024. Community gift certificates allow local dollars to stay local, helping your business and the local economy overall.

Gift Certificates are sold to shoppers at the STLC Chamber office. Shoppers will present the gift certificate to the business for redemption in the amount indicated on the certificate. The business will return the used certificate to the Chamber. The Chamber will then issue a check to that business in the amount on the returned certificate. The certificates are on light green cardstock and will have the official St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce seal stamped on them to verify their authenticity. 

Down the road is the 29th annual Canton Winterfest 2025 set Feb. 7-16.

“This is a town-wide event filled with ten days of community programming, shop local promotion, and recreational activities to highlight local businesses and celebrate everything that makes Canton a great place to live, work, study, and play,” stated Berry.

Businesses and community members can contact Berry Katie at katie@SLCchamber.org or 315-386-4000 ext 6.