Holiday activities take shape, fill locals’ schedules

The Christmas season announces its official arrival in the Iola area with a number of activities, starting Thursday.
Two community Thanksgiving meals are planned, in Iola and LaHarpe.
Iola’s St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 202 S. Walnut St., will host its annual Thanksgiving feast, starting at 
11:30 a.m.
In LaHarpe, members of the LaHarpe Day Committee will host a Thanksgiving meal at 11:30 a.m. at LaHarpe City Hall.
Iola’s annual holiday lighting ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the courthouse bandstand. Local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will throw the switch at 6 o’clock to turn on thousands of lights outlining storefronts in downtown Iola.
The Iola Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Candy Cane Treasure Hunt begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the courthouse square, followed by the arrival of Santa Claus. Santa will greet youngsters at his house on the southeast corner of the square from 12:55 to 1:45 p.m.