In an effort to promote  Christmas shopping locally, check out page 5A  for our special Holiday  Turkey, Ham and Pop- corn contest. And it’s free!All you need to do is  drop off the correspond- ing ad to register at any  of the 20 stores each week for the next four weeks  and you could be the winner drawn for a free tur- key, a free holiday ham,  a festive tin of popcorn  from Great Lakes Pop- corn, a carton of Toft’s  Ice Cream or a Bruno’s Pizza Buffet. Our friends at Bassett’s market will be donating the hams and turkeys, along with JT’s Café and Mutach’s.

The end of November  not only marks the be- ginning of the Christmas  season, it also is the be- ginning of the “Snowbird  Season.” For those of you “Snowbirds” (and you know who you are) we ask you to contact us by email (malisha@thebeacon.net) to put a stop delivery on your paper. We also suggest that you come in and get a subscription to  receive The Beacon while you are down south.

Dotti Jilek of Port Clinton is our winner this week in our  “Find Wylie” contest. She was chosen from among 74 contes- tants who found our friendly fish hiding in the ad for OCTA  on page 4A in last week’s Beacon. So Dotti is the winner of a $25 gas card graciously donated by Friendship Stores. Each week we hide Wylie Walleye in an ad and our readers, when one of them finds him, can either bring in a contest entry  cut out of the paper or log onto our website … www.thebea-con.net … and let us know where he is, thus entering, and  possibly winning the contest.

This Saturday, Dec. 1 at 4:15 p.m., Santa’s friends from the Portage District Fire Department will be guiding him through the streets of Oak Harbor as he announces his arrival and opens the 2018 Holiday Season. There will be horse-drawn carriage rides available from 4 to 7 p.m. on the corner of Church and Main Streets. At 5 p.m. Santa will arrive at the Log Cabin to light the Village Christmas Tree and to visit with the children. Each child will have the opportunity to share their Christmas wish list with Santa at the Log Cabin. After their visit with Santa the children will then receive Santa Bucks and be able to shop for two (2) free gift items for their loved ones from several businesses downtown.  There will be several businesses open that night and par- ents will receive an entry card. If you and your children visit  each of the participating stores and have your card stamped,  you can enter the card in a drawing for $100 in gift certificates! After the children have purchased their gifts they can  head to the Portage Fire Station for Cookies and Cocoa and parents can turn in their entries for the drawing.

Main Street Port Clinton will also be welcoming Santa this Saturday from 2-6:30 p.m. Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 3-5 p.m. at the Island House. Then comes the Lighted Christmas Parade at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6 p.m. There will also be cookies and cocoa, carols and music, a chili tasting competition and lots of other family activities.

The Magruder Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop will have a Honey Baked Ham Sale Fundraiser. Individuals can place orders in the Gift Shop until noon on Wednesday, Dec. 12.  Pickup is Thursday, Dec. 20 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Magruder Gift Shop. Payment is due upon order (cash, credit  card or check made out to Magruder Hospital Gift Shop). With over 10 items available, including ham, turkey, ribs and coffee cakes, there is sure to be something for everyone. Proceeds benefit the Magruder Hospital Auxiliary, which supports a number of projects throughout the hospital and  community. For more information on the Magruder Auxiliary, contact Auxiliary and Volunteer Coordinator Kathy  Gallogly at 419-734-3131 (Ext. 3256).

One of the things we create each year at The Beacon is The Mitten Tree. For over 30 years, we put a Christmas Tree in the foyer of The Beacon office and decorate it with mittens, gloves, hats and scarves donated by our generous readers. We have had up to 300 items on the tree when our friends at Salvation Army come pick them up for distribution. This way, thanks to you, we can keep hands, heads and hearts warm this coming winter.

The Annual B-C-S Senior Citizen Christmas Luncheon will be held Tuesday, Dec. 4 at the Oak Harbor High School Cafeteria. It all gets started with a performance at 11:30 a.m. by the OHHS Mixed Choir and Band, with lunch to follow.  Call the Board of Education office at 419-898-6220 for reservations. The cost is only $2 per person.

The Humane Society of Ottawa County is looking for volunteers to bake cookies for their annual Cookie Walk which  will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8 at Peace Lutheran Church, 900 Jefferson St., Port Clinton. If you can help, drop off your  baked goods at the church by 8 a.m. that Saturday morn- ing or at the Humane Society Shelter, 2424 Sand Rd. from  Dec.4-8.

The annual Salvation Army Tree-A-Rama will be this Sunday, Dec. 2 at Mon Ami Restaurant and Historic Winery. The Silent Auction will start at 2 p.m. and the Live Auction begins at 4 p.m.

Otterbein Senior Life in Marblehead has joined up with the USO to collect non-perishable items, toys, DVDs, health and wellness items and household goods that will be given  directly to our military service members and their families. You can drop off your donations at Otterbein on North  Shore Blvd in Marblehead, just outside the gates of Lakeside.

It’s back to our semi-monthly Coffee with the Editor ses- sions at Rosie’s in downtown Port Clinton. We hold this in- formal community session the first and third Wednesdays  of each month at 9 a.m. at Rosies. Join us!