CASSOPOLIS — Downtown Cassopolis will soon be lit up with multicolored lights and holiday decorations, thanks to the Cassopolis Main Street Committee.

The lighting ceremony will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Pioneer Log Cabin Museum, 400 S. Broadway St., Cassopolis. The Main Street Committee will be sponsoring the event, which is part of the village’s Christmas in Cassopolis celebration, with the department of public works handling decorations for the event.

The event will also feature a bonfire for attendees to keep warm next to and the Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High School Band will perform Christmas music. At 5:45 p.m. during the event, Santa Claus will make an appearance, riding in on a fire truck, to visit with the children in attendance of the event.  Additionally, the log cabin will be open for tours and will serve free hot chocolate and sweet treats.

“This is something we do every year,” said Main Street Committee President Ben Anderson. “It’s something people get really excited for.”

The star of the show will be the moment the tree is lit, Anderson said.

“There will be a little countdown. Four, three, two, one, then everything will light up,” he said. “It is really, really great.”

Anderson added that the lighting ceremony is something that he and his own children look forward to every year.

The tree lighting ceremony will have an extra layer of excitement as the DPW, and in particular worker Jeanne Mackay, has taken a special interest in the decorations for the tree.

“She’s decorating everything, and she’s got some great ideas,” Anderson said.

Mackay and she and other DPW employees took on the project because they find decorating fun and enjoy the chance to stretch their creative muscles.

Mackay put those creative muscles to good use this year, redesigning the entire tree to include a vertical design and the star to include the Ranger logo.

“It’s going to be totally different, so that’s kind of cool,” Mackay said.

The decoration of the tree has been a labor of love for Mackay, who said that she is happy to make Cassopolis look nice for the holiday season.

“I love Cassopolis and I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” she said. “I want others to see how great it is too.”

Anderson said he hopes the community will turn out to the event, especially as it is taking place during other holiday events, such as Sam Adams Elementary holiday bazaar.

“We think it is a really great way to start off the holiday season,” Anderson said. “It is great time and a good way to get people into our community to see what we have to offer.”