TURNERS FALLS — Holiday celebrations will kick into high gear Friday, when the annual “It’s a Wonderful Night in Turners Falls” returns.
Celebrations in the village will continue for another week after that, with a business promotion that started this past weekend.
In the “Open Door Promo,” participating businesses give stickers that players collect on a ticket, no purchase necessary. If you get at least 12 stickers, you can enter a raffle for a $150 gift card that can be used at any of the 25 participating businesses, listed below.
“The best thing about it is the pool of money comes from the businesses and it stays in town,” aid town Cultural Coordinator Suzanne LoManto.
Tickets are available at LOOT (62 Avenue A) and Black Cow Burger Bar (127 Avenue A). Return completed tickets to either of those businesses before Dec. 21 to enter the raffle. Tickets are going fast, LoManto said.
On Friday, stores in Turners Falls will stay open later and host activities for “It’s a Wonderful Night in Turners Falls,” the winter holiday fair the town has held since 2011.
The big event of the evening will be “Welcome Yule” at the Shea Theater Arts Center at 7:30 p.m.
The show is now in its 35th year, and its founder, Rose Sheehan, has returned to direct for this round-numbered anniversary.
“Welcome Yule” has always focused on how and why people celebrate at this time of year, Sheehan said. The show started in a church basement in Greenfield and moved to the Shea Theater in the early 1990s. The move allowed for improved technological elements, like sets and lighting, but the format of the show has always remained the same: two sets with an intermission between, featuring a combination of music, singing, recitation and visuals.
Sheehan has not been involved in the show since 1999, when she moved away from the area. She now lives in Gloucester, and has been commuting to Turners Falls for rehearsals.
In her absence, “Welcome Yule” has basically remained true to its original ideas, she said.
“At this time of year, people have found it worthwhile to take pause, and celebrate or reflect. The ways in which people do that are unique and individual,” Sheehan said. “I do believe that the company overall has held on to that idea — that this is about community, this is about recognizing that at this time of year we are driven by that theme of how to find light in darkness. Often, the quality of hope is something we are reaching out for in darkness.”
Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for children 5 to 16 years old and seniors. Friday’s show is at 7:30 p.m. There is another performance at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
■Children can make a winter bird feeder at the Great Falls Discovery Center, open from 2 to 5 p.m.
■Awesome Art in Motion, a new dance piece by elementary-age children, is at the Discovery Center at 5:30 p.m.
■Holiday Youth Art Show and Craft Fair, at the Brick House Community Resource Center (24 3rd St.), 5 to 8 p.m.
■Take a holiday photo on a green screen at the Brick House, 5 to 8 p.m.
■Santa Claus will arrive at Spinner Park on a fire truck at 6:30 p.m. Free hot chocolate will be provided by the Montague Business Association.
■Two Birds, a handmade gift and vintage store at 106 Avenue A, is open until 9 p.m. There is a 10 percent discount on purchases over $20.
■The Upper Bend, a brunch restaurant at 112 Avenue A, is open from 5 to 8 p.m. for drinks, but no food.
■LOOT, an antique store at 62 Avenue A, is open from 5 to 8 p.m. with live music by violinist Annika Amstutz.
■The Great Falls Harvest Restaurant, at 50 3rd St., is open from 5 to 9 p.m. with angel card readings for $5.
■Black Cow Burger Bar, at 127 Avenue A, is open for its normal hours until 8 p.m.
Participating businesses include:
■Great Falls Discovery Center
■FAB Fashion
■Gary’s Coins and Antiques
■LOOT
■Nova Motorcycles
■Basically Bicycle
■The Rendezvous
■Great Falls Harvest Restaurant
■Pipione’s Sport Shop
■Charon Art Tattoo
■Mariachi Shoe Repair
■Second Street Baking Co.
■Black Cow Burger Bar
■Nina’s Nook
■Kharma Hair Salon
■About Face Computers
■Great Falls Yoga
■Tangible Bliss
■Great Falls Gift Mart
■Mystic Pinball
■Two Birds
■The Upper Bend
■Buckingham Rabbits Vintage
■Local Yoga Joint
■Replay Music Gear
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.