Yuletidal Greetings Rockland’s holiday celebration starts Friday when Santa floats into town

About five years ago, it seemed Rockland’s holiday celebration needed a little sprucing up. Sure, Santa Claus still arrived by Coast Guard boat, and there was a holiday parade, but, as one woman put it, if you blinked, you’d miss it. Things were looking a little dim. So a group of downtown businesswomen got together and decided to shed a little light on the subject. Literally.

“Me, being the token Jewish girl, I said it can’t just be Christmas, it has to be a holiday celebration,” Judith Oster said as she hung holiday decorations from the ceiling of her Main Street store, Caravans. “We thought Festival of Lights was the most appropriate name, and, thank goodness, it stuck.”

The monthlong festival, which starts Friday when Santa floats into town at 11 a.m., has grown brighter each year. Now, in addition to Oster and the handful of merchants that originally participated, the Rockland-Thomaston Chamber of Commerce has joined in. Galleries have planned a joint art opening one night. Stores are staying open later. Main Street glimmers in a coat of white lights and a Christmas tree stands brightly in Chapman Park.

“It was our attempt to get the town motivated again to put up lights,” said Carolyn May of the Grasshopper Shop, one of the event’s founders. “We also wanted to bring the town together at a time of year when it seemed people ought to be.”

Since that first year, more and more businesses and community groups have joined in, and the festival now takes place over four weekends.

“It definitely was contagious – the spirit really started to catch on,” Oster said. “People feel comfortable and safe coming downtown at night these days. Ten years ago, they didn’t. People have definitely been turned back on to Rockland.”

Though the festival centers on the downtown, the whole city (and even other towns) joins in. The Samoset Resort in Rockport will hold a holiday craft market on Saturday. Area businesses will donate refreshments to warm up parade-goers and tree-lighters. The local Salvation Army Band and Rockland Children’s Choir will perform at the tree-lighting as well.

“It’s very much a family- and community-oriented celebration,” said Chamber director Shari Closter.

For the little ones, Santa’s Workshop at the Island Institute is the place to go. Children can get their picture taken with Santa Claus, hang out with the elves, or send their Christmas lists to the North Pole via a big mailbox. If the kids are looking for something a little more formal, they can attend the Farnsworth Art Museum’s Children’s Victorian Tea Party at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. Visitors young and old can ride around town in horse-drawn carriages and be dazzled by the Parade of Lights, which includes lit-up floats and a marching parade, from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15.

A few years ago, the city’s galleries jumped aboard to hold joint art openings so visitors could walk around town, sipping wine and perhaps buy a little art for the holidays.

“As part of the Festival of Lights, we’ve got our night – the focus then will be on the arts,” Bill Robertson of Elements Gallery said of the event, scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30. “The joint opening helps people recognize that the galleries are one of the reasons people come to Rockland.”

This year, 11 galleries will participate: Archipelago, Light Impressions Gallery, Harbor Square Gallery, the Farnsworth Art Museum, Lyn Snow Watercolors, Gallery One at Huston-Tuttle, The Gallery at 357 Main, Caldbeck Gallery, Art of the Sea, Elements Gallery, and Gallery 407. All are located either on or very close to Main Street.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Ruth Myers of Art of the Sea. “A lot of people come out. It gives them a chance to see all the different galleries.”

Even if you’re not in the market for art, you can catch up on your holiday shopping at the city’s myriad specialty shops. Children and adults will both love The Store, which specializes in gourmet cookware, kitchen gadgets, greeting cards – including a very cool Christmas card selection – and a roomful of toys.

If you’re looking for Maine-made, Rockland has it. If you’re lucky, you may get to watch Peter and Nancy DiGirolamo mixing up a fresh batch of handmade soap, bath salts or bath herbs at Trillium Soaps, which smells like a dream inside. Be sure to check out their selection of reproduction antique pottery bowls from a small company in Ohio, and the soft blankets from Brahms/Mount Textiles in Hallowell.

Archipelago at the Island Institute sells art, jewelry, books, gifts and handcrafts made solely by Maine artisans, most of whom live on the islands that dot the state’s coastline. And at Fiddlehead Paper Studio, owner Carol Morrison makes her own paper and fashions strings of intricate paper lights that fit in well with the Festival of Lights theme. The retro wrapping paper there would brighten up even the most boring gift. And that’s the whole point.

The festival comes to a glowing end on Christmas Eve, when merchants and residents line the city streets with candle-filled luminarias, to guide Santa’s way. The luminaria project has become an annual fund-raiser for United Midcoast Charities and a sweet ending to the monthlong celebration.

“We’re pretty excited,” May said. “Santa has always come by boat. We just went from there and embellished it.”

For information, call the Rockland-Thomaston Chamber of Commerce at 596-0376.