OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The homes of Ocean Park residents will be lit up Saturday night during the 26th annual Illumination Night.

Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with a strawberry shortcake festival and a concert by the Ocean Park Band at the square in front of Jakeman Hall.

The annual “walk about” begins at 8 p.m., when people stroll from street to street to view the illuminated cottages.

Several cottages that participate, said Jerry Gosselin, executive director of the Ocean Park Association. Homes are decorated in a variety of styles, and some homeowners choose themes, said Gosselin.

Gosselin said the event is well-attended, and the streets are “just filled with people.” Some people even wear light sticks, he said.

“It’s amazing how many people appear for this event,” he said.

There are two families that traditionally hand out candles at their homes to event-goers, he said. People then take the candles to the beach, where they light the them, put them in the sand and observe a moment of remembrance.

Gosselin said it’s an impressive sight to see all the candles lit up on the beach, and to think of all the people and families who have taken a moment to light a candle and remember a loved one. The day after, organizers clear the candles off the beach and it returns to normal for beach-goers, he said.

Ocean Park is a Chautauqua community in Old Orchard Beach, which borders Saco, and has programs that center on religion, education, recreation and culture.

Illumination Night is a community event that celebrates the family-friendly spirit of Ocean Park, said Gosselin. The event is free, and open to the public.

Oceanwood Camp Art Director Liz Germann was running a luminary craft workshop Thursday morning, where participants, like Marie Geller and her mother Terry Taylor, both of Montreal, Canada, were putting tissue paper onto jars to decoupage colorful vessels for battery-operated candles.

Taylor said she’s been vacationing in Ocean Park for 24 years, and this is the first year she’s been here for Illumination Night.

“When I saw the workshop, I was like, ”˜Oh, let’s do this,’” she said.

She and her daughter said they enjoy the activities in Ocean Park, and they are looking forward to Illumination Night.

For more information on Ocean Park and Illumination Night, go to www.oceanpark.org.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].