Many activities for holiday season

There are many activities in the area for people to see and in which to participate. Merlin Fort’s Hillside Spectacular in Dakota City is recognized as one of the best holiday lighting displays in the state and one of the largest with more than 100,000 lights at 202 2nd St. S., in Dakota City. The lights will shine through Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. The Faith United Methodist Church in Humboldt will be having its tree walk through Thursday, Dec. 25. There are more than 125 decorated trees to enjoy. The tree walk is open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekends. Kiwanis Christmasland located south of Humboldt City Hall at 407 1st Ave. S., is open for the season from Friday, Nov. 28-Wednesday, Dec. 24. The display is open from 6:30-8:30 p.m. evenings and from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There is no admission charge, however freewill donations will be accepted. The display will be closed Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 1-2 and Dec. 8-9. Jim Kellner offers his Dream Carriage Rides horse-drawn sleigh rides through Humboldt and Dakota City to view holiday lights on a nightly basis. The rides last 35-40 minutes and are $12 for adults and $6 for children. People can contact Kellner at (515) 890-1661 or go to the web site at www.dreamcarriagerides.com, to schedule a trip. Gilmore City will be hosting a parade of lights on Saturday, Dec. 6, with the line up beginning at 5:30 p.m. Santa will also be a busy fellow this holiday season. In addition to daily appearances at Kiwanis Christmasland, there will be a breakfast with Santa at the Humboldt Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 9-10 a.m. Also on Dec. 13, Livermore will be having a visit from Santa at 10 a.m. at the Livermore American Legion. West Bend will have holiday open houses and a visit from Santa on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13. For a full list of area activities and high school holiday concerts and musical activities, see the Nov. 20, Humboldt Independent.