Santa Claus is coming to town.
Wanda Bell, the owner of Mrs. Bell's Tea Room, is joining forces with 13 other businesses to bring Christmas to Chatham-Kent this summer.
Bell said she initially took her idea of a Christmas tea party to her friends Corrinne Kennedy and Andrea Palmer, the owners of Rubies Inc. and Encore Shop, and the idea continued to grow.
"The idea just snowballed from there," Bell said. "Andrea asked other thrift stores who quickly jumped on board, and another gift store was approached, who suggested it to her neighbor, and now we have 14 businesses participating, some on King Street, but many outside of the downtown area."
On July 25, CK residents are encouraged to visit a participating business to receive a passport and a stamp from that store, then continue on to the other businesses.
Each of the 14 stores is donating a prize, and at the end of the day, Santa will draw passports for a chance to win.
"The winner must have a stamp from that particular store to win its prize," Bell explained. "We are encouraging folks to visit at least 8 of the businesses but it would be advantageous to get all the stamps, of course."
No purchases need to be made in order to receive a stamp and the businesses can be visited in any order.
Participating stores include:
Mrs. Bell's Tea Room
Rubies Inc.
Encore Shop
Mission Thrift Store
Barry Patch
KM Greetings
St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
Turns and Tales Board Game Cafe
Collins Clothiers
Art & Heirloom Shoppe
New Life Thrift Store
I Need That Comics and Games
Mahalo Liquidation
Lavender and Honey
Passports must be returned to Encore by 7 p.m. or Mrs. Bell's Tea Room by 7:30 p.m. to be entered into the draw.
Santa is scheduled to arrive at the tea room between 7:45 and 8:00 p.m.