CAIRO CHRISTMAS STROLL SET FOR TONIGHT

CAIRO, Ill. -- More than 1,500 people are expected to join Mayor James E. Wilson and members of the Cairo City Council for the sixth annual Christmas Stroll tonight.

Bands, choirs, dancers, historic sites, Santa Claus, Miss Mary Christmas, Twinkle Toes the Elf and horse-drawn carriages are among sights for the stroll along candlelit streets of Cairo.

The stroll route, lined with luminaries and Christmas decorations, will be closed to motorized traffic, but horse-drawn carriages will circulate along the route and will be available for tours.

Wilson will flip the switch to turn on lights of an 80-foot pine tree at Lansden Park at 6 p.m., officially opening the two hours of activities.

The Christmas Stroll follows a route anchored by Magnolia Manor, Lansden Park and St. Mary's Park. Also along the milelong route are Windham, an Italianate manor owned by Helen Bishof; Riverlore, an 1865 mansion recently purchased by the city; and First Southern Baptist Church, which is the stroll area and will be open during the stroll.

Streets will be lined with luminaries, candles inside white paper bags filled with sand, placed every five feet on both sides of the sidewalk.

Santa Claus will be seated in his house at Lansden Park, where the gazebo will be decorated. Bands, choirs and a dance troupe are scheduled to provide entertainment along the stroll route, and coffee and hot chocolate will be available along the route.

St. Mary's Park will offer visitors a look along its lighted pine trees path, and the Park Pavilion will be adorned with thousands of lights.

People can visit with Miss Mary Christmas and Twinkle Toes the Elf during the stroll.

Entertainment during the tour will be provided by Jerry Ford's 11-piece orchestra, Bob Donze Combo, Murray State University Combo, Dancers, and Cairo High School Combo. Following the stroll, all visitors are invited to join in a "Community Christmas Carol" event.