ABOVE: Steve Hawkins strings up bulb lights for the tree on the corner of West 3rd Street and Downtown Plaza on Friday, as Christmas preparations begin in earnest ahead of next week’s Glows Parade.

FAIRMONT– The 34th annual Fairmont Glows Parade will come through Downtown Plaza on Friday Nov. 22 and businesses are preparing for the event that’s long been known as the kick-off to the holiday season. In recent years, the glows parade has grown with new additions and efforts capitalizing on the success of the event.

Kandi Menne, President of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce, said that events start at 4 p.m. with Santa and Mrs. Klaus flying into the Fairmont Municipal Airport via the North Pole Express.

Martin County Toys for Tots will also be at the Santa fly-in accepting donations.

This is Toys for Tots’ third year in Fairmont. The first year, they could only cover the Fairmont area, and last year, they expanded to cover all of Martin County.

Chuck Mixson, who served as coordinator for the group the past two years, has moved into an assistant role due to his health. Lawrence Ortiz is learning the ropes this year as the new coordinator. His motivation to lead Martin County Toys for Tots comes from when the organization helped him in his time of need.

“My wife was getting ready to have surgery,” Ortiz said. “Couldn’t get FMLA at the time so I had to leave my job. I had no way of getting presents. I had enough money to pay my bills and feed my family, that’s about it. A friend told me about Toys for Tots and I reached out to Chuck. Chuck gave me all the information I needed to receive toys for my kids.”

The project’s Christmas toy drive has had a slow start. Mixson said the weather has been relatively nice until now, and many people don’t think about buying gifts or donating until Thanksgiving or later.

Last year, the project gave toys to 704 children from 264 families. Mixson said those numbers may increase this year.

“I wish we didn’t have to, but with the economy the way it is, we’re going to have more children [in need],” he said.

Running Toys for Tots has opened Mixson’s eyes to the poverty in Fairmont.

“Living here, running my business for over 40 years in Fairmont, I never realized the poverty surrounding us,” he said. “I drive by it every day. There are a lot of people struggling out there and working with Salvation Army, we see about eight families a month are being kicked out of their homes because they can’t afford to pay the rent or food.”

For Ortiz, who grew up in a rough California neighborhood and moved to Minnesota for a better life, giving back to the less fortunate is the best feeling in the world for him.

“I’ve been that person that struggled,” he said. “I came out here to change my life, and I succeeded. To give back to these kids is something I never thought I’d ever do in my life. I’ve always seen bad and been around bad. Now I’m around good, and it feels good to give back.”

The deadline for donations is Dec. 13. The deadline for applying to receive toys is Dec. 1. Donations can be given to the Toys for Tots trailer when it’s out and about, or sent to Fairmont PO Box 565. Checks must be written to Martin County Toys for Tots.

Following the fly-in event, several churches near downtown, including Immanuel Lutheran and First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) will be having a soup meal and fundraiser. Aventure Staffing will be open and offering hot chocolate and cookies during the parade and some other businesses downtown may be offering similar items, too.

Then at 5:30, the second annual tree lighting ceremony will take place at 223 Downtown Plaza. This year’s tree was donated by Montana Tree Service.

Steve Hawkins of Project 1590 was involved with brining in a tree for the first time last year and he said the idea came from engaging with Minnesota Main Streets– an organization that helps small towns maximize their people and assets.

Along with Project 150, the Greater Plaza Area Council (formerly Downtown Association) and some other volunteers have played a big role in bringing in the tree, decorations and Santa’s Workshop, which will be housed where Lilly Creek Boutique was last year. It was all funded by downtown and Fairmont area businesses and organizations.

During the tree lighting Hawkins said there will be a seating area with a fire pit and the Spot on 3rd food truck will be open for the event.

“The area will be decorated and lit up with the Chamber’s animals,” Hawkins said of the deer and other animals the Chamber owns that used to be set up in area parks years ago.

Speaking to the partnership between the different organizations, Hawkins said, “the idea behind it is, there’s a lot of great organization in the community so why not work with each other and feed off of each other to create bigger events? The glows parade has been happening for years and it’s a great event so why not enhance the event for the community.”

The parade is set to begin at 6 p.m. Traditionally there has been over 50 units.

“We have some new ones this year so we’re excited to see what they bring to the parade,” Menne said.

Toys for Tots will also be in the parade, handing out goodie bags with candy, pens, and pencils in exchange for donations.

The units are judged and the ones that are deemed most “glowy”— for commercial and non-profit–are given Chamber bucks. As with any parade, many of the units also toss out not just candy, but items like hot chocolate packets, stickers and glow sticks.

The efforts of the downtown businesses and other organizations do not go unnoticed by the chamber.

“A decorated Citizen’s Park and the Christmas Corner are great additions and complement the glows parade so that people coming into town can experience a lot,” Menne said. “It’s nice that there are local establishments embracing what’s happening. It’s just going to grow and get better and better every year.”