Port Hope will be celebrating both the completion of its major infrastructure work downtown and the holiday season with a street party at the end of November.
The municipality will mark the conclusion of the three-year-long Walton Street reconstruction project on Friday, November 28, when it will also celebrate the holiday season with a street party from 4 to 9 p.m. to launch the annual Candlelight Festival, which runs until January 2 and features festive light displays in Memorial Park and Rotary Park.
According to Municipality of Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky, hosting this year’s affair without construction as a backdrop is a reason for Port Hope and its businesses to celebrate.
“The Walton Street reconstruction has been a journey for us all,” Hankivsky told kawarthaNOW. “On behalf of the municipality, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our community, especially our downtown residents and businesses, for their patience and unwavering support throughout this once-in-a-generation main street reconstruction.”
“As we move forward, I hope this spirit of pride and unity continues to flourish. Let us keep supporting our local businesses, celebrating our shared resilience, and proudly showing what it means to live in Port Hope.”
The mayor described the Walton Street reconstruction project as crucial for the future of the historic downtown in west Northumberland County. The project involved making improvements to old water mains and sanitary sewers and expanding capacity for storm sewers that had become inadequate over time.
Now that construction is complete, Walton Street is fully available for the Candlelight Festival launch party that will include an outdoor licensed area, fire pits, photobooths, projected animations, roaming buskers, free hot chocolate, an augmented reality scavenger hunt, horse-drawn carriage rides, and more.
Portions of Walton Street, John Street, Ontario Street and Queen Street will be closed to vehicles to allow pedestrians to safely explore the downtown, and public transit will be running until 9:30 p.m. to make it easier for residents to come downtown.
The Port Hope Heritage Business Improvement (HBIA) is also joining the celebration by hosting Moonlight Madness on November 28, which is also Black Friday when local businesses offer discounts and sales to mark the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.
In addition, there will be outdoor artisan market on Lent Lane, through the Granary parking lot and out onto John Street, with food vendors also available.
The launch of the Candlelight Festival also features the annual Candlelight Walk, which begins at 6 p.m. at Walton and Pine streets and concludes at Memorial Park, where there will be live music, hot chocolate, and a countdown to the park’s lighting display.
Walk participants are invited to bring their singing voices as well as a lantern, a candle inside a protective container, a battery-operated candle, or a flashlight, although some flame and battery-operated candles will be available at the start of the walk while supplies last.
Candlelight Walk participants are also encouraged to bring a donation of a non-perishable food item for the Fare Share Food Bank.
During the walk, representatives from Sounds of the Next Generation (SONG) will help lead carolling, featuring holiday favourites from Deck the Halls to Jingle Bells to Silent Night. A list of the carols and their lyrics is available on the Municipality of Port Hope’s website.
The afternoon following the launch of the Candlelight Festival, Port Hope will be hosting the 88th annual Santa Claus Parade, with the theme of “Deck the Downtown.” The parade will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the intersection of Ridout Street and Bramley Street and continue along Walton Street to Queen Street, finishing at Augusta Street.
