City of Opelousas Tourism Presents Lighting of the Village Friday, December 4Th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2015

City of Opelousas Tourism Presents ‘Lighting of the Village’ Friday, December 4th

(Opelousas, LA) – Loveable costumed characters, a petting zoo and the arrival of Santa Claus will be the highlights of the annual ‘Lighting of the Village’ scheduled for Friday, December 4th, from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., at Le Vieux Village located at 828 E. Landry St., Opelousas.

Presented by City of Opelousas, along with support from local businesses, the official lighting of the historic village has been a favorite holiday activity of both children and adults, offering family friendly festivities in a unique setting. Le Vieux Village is a collection of buildings from St. Landry Parish dating from the 1700s to the early 20th century. The village includes one of the oldest Creole homes west of the Mississippi River and the Louisiana Orphan Train Museum.

Attendees can watch the historic village illuminate with holiday lights with the official pulling of the switch which will lead up to the arrival of Santa Claus. Lighting of the Village offers a variety of activities for the little ones, including a petting zoo, choir music, an obstacle course fun jump, a cupcake decorating station and an ornament making station where kids can design their own holiday ornaments. Special guests for the event include Frosty the Snowman, Queen Elsa, Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Elmo and Balloon Man Rick Hessler. And of course, Santa Clause will be on site and holiday photos with Santa will be offered.

The annual Lighting of the Village also includes a variety of vendors of arts and craft items, baby items, handmade jewelry, Christmas specialties, home décor, baked goods, decorative gifts and much more. A variety of food items will also be available for purchase.

Sponsors of the Lighting of the Village include the City of Opelousas, Andrepont Printing, Kiwanis Club of Opelousas, St. Landry Bank, St. Landry Homestead, SLEMCO, IESI Progressive, CLECO, Opelousas 190 Truck Stop, Shop Rite and American Bank & Trust Co. For more information about the event or vendor information, contact Opelousas Tourism at 337-948- 5227 or visit www.cityofopelousas.com