The Festival of Lights holiday parade in Bridgton closed out a long day of festivities. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

Dale Longacre portrays Santa Claus at Stevens Brook Elementary School. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

Bridgton celebrated its annual Festival of Lights on Dec. 7, continuing a more than two-decade-long holiday tradition.

The day began with a craft fair at Stevens Brook Elementary School. The craft fair was held in conjunction with the Merry Makers Workshop, where kids made gifts for their loved ones, as well as a visit from Santa Claus in the afternoon, who had previously made an appearance at a pancake breakfast held at the community center.

According to a Recreation Department volunteer, 33 vendors were in attendance, down slightly from the expected 40, all of whom were local artisans and business owners. Turnout, she said, was good. Although it was a slow start, it was made up by increased foot traffic during the second half of the day.

“It’s exciting to have that opportunity for people to shop local and support their community members,” recreation Director Gary Colello told the Lakes Region Weekly over the phone prior to the event.

Amanda Williams, owner of Grey Wolf Studios, was one of the vendors at a holiday fair in Bridgton. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

Vendors included Dave Townsend and Kim DeLong, who were selling 3D-printed toys and gaming miniatures; Missy Littlefield, a wood burner selling dozens of unique burnings; Robbi Packard of Sacred Grove Creations; Amanda Williams, the owner of Grey Wolf Studios, who is trying to get her name and business out there in hopes of establishing a physical location; and Pam Longacre, a med tech selling 3D illuminated shadow boxes that she made with her husband, Dale, who also portrayed Santa this year.

The event drew widespread community support. Two retired women living at the Harrison Ridge affordable housing complex sold mittens to raise money for multiple charities. Most of the money raised that day went to pay for toys that the Bridgton Fire Department would pick up the following week to add to the local Toys for Tots program.

The Winter Wonderland of Trees holiday walk, a pop-up event held alongside the Festival of Lights. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

Dec. 7 also saw the opening of the third annual Winter Wonderland of Trees North Pole Walk at Bridgton’s ice skating rink. While not officially part of the Festival of Lights, the North Pole Walk, which runs until Dec. 27, was similarly festive, with hot chocolate, followed by a walk-through attraction decorated to look like a wintertime forest.

At 4 p.m., floats began lining up for the holiday parade, which started its 1-mile loop through downtown about an hour later. Like the craft fair, the dozen or so floats represented a wide variety of businesses and establishments from Bridgton and beyond.

Campfire Grill’s parade float was judged as this year’s Most Festive. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

For only the second year, the Recreation Department handed out five awards to some of the most exceptional floats. The award for the best non-commercial float went to the Levesque Family, while the best commercial float was judged to be from Mains Excavation with its elaborate system of three trucks featuring a pair of Grinches. Other notable floats included Campfire Grill, whose float was judged the Most Festive, Everlast Roofing, whose “sleigh” pulled by three “reindeer” in the form of mountain bikes won the Judges’ Choice award, and the living Christmas tree and gingerbread man of NFI North, which received an honorable mention.

After Bridgton’s Christmas tree was lit up, the Festival of Lights came to a close. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

The long day of festivities culminated with lighting the Christmas tree at the Community Center at 6 p.m. Townspeople gathered around the tree drinking hot chocolate and warming up by a fire pit, as Benjamin Wells-Goodwin led the countdown to the lighting of the tree. Wells-Goodwin, who works for a medical cannabis group, in addition to hosting trivia and karaoke during the week, told the Lakes Region Weekly that this was his first time doing the tree lighting, noting that recreation Director Colello wanted someone with an “animated voice.”