Parade of Lights highlights eventful week

There is no shortage of events to attend and things to do this week in Malta.

The annual Chamber of Commerce and Malta Merchants Committee Parade of Lights and Oktoberfest are on Thursday night and will feature shopping discounts, vendors and the start of the Christmas Scrip Season.

Christmas Scrip will be available at the three participating lending institutions, First State Bank, First Security Bank and Independence Bank, on October 29. Chamber businesses will begin accepting scrip on that day. A full list of participating businesses are listed at the bottom of this article.

The Chamber's Christmas Button Sweepstakes program kicks off on October 29 as well. Buttons will be available for purchase from many downtown vendors for $2.50 a button. The drawing for the Buttons will be on December 14 at 7 p.m. Winners will receive a mix of Dino Dollars and Gift Certificates to our Malta businesses.

The Parade of Lights entrees line-up will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Hi-Line Retirement. The Parade of Lights will begin at 6:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place entrees.

Also on the 29th, the Phillips County News will be holding customer appreciation night starting at 5:15 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. and the American Prairie Reserve will be hosting a free chili feed at the Stockman Bar & Steakhouse from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

On Friday the Halloween Kid's Parade, sponsored by Independence Bank, will be held and those who would like to be in the parade will need to meet up at the Front Street / Veteran's Memorial Park at 3:15 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, The Phillips County Ambulance Association will be holding a Haunted House in the basement at Stretch's. People are encouraged to enter 1st Street. Admission for the event is $5 or $4 with a can of food donation for the Malta Food Bank. As a bonus to those who attend this Haunted House on Friday night, head on over to the Villa Theatre where you can get a reduced ticket, of $5, to watch M. Night Shyamala's The Visit.

On Saturday afternoon, the Malta Mustangs will host the Wardens from Deer Lodge in the first round of the Class B Football playoffs. Good luck, Big Blue. Kickoff, at this point, is still to be determined.

Merchants participating in this year's Christmas Scrip Program:

A Fine Line Auto Body, A & J Mobile Fleet Repair, Albertsons, American Prairie Reserve, Art's Furniture & Carpet, Big Flat Electric Cooperative, Bill's Classic Auto Body & Towing, Blades Hair Nails and Day Spa, Central Avenue Pit Crew, Consolidated Veterinary Services, Darla's 3 Sisters, Dr. Mike Veseth,, DMD, Equity Cooperative, Ezzie's Wholesale, Family Matters, Inc, Farmers & Rancher's Lumber Co., Great Northern Hotel & Maltana Motel, Green's Sales, Inc., Hanson Lumber, Hardware Hank, Horizon Resources, Kid Curry Lounge, KMMR, Lucky Bullet, Malta Appliance, Malta Dairy Queen, Malta Tire Center, Milk River Veterinary Service, Mint Bar, Moore's Printing, Patty's Greenhouse, Phillips County Golf, Inc./Tin Cup, Phillips County Hospital/Family Health Clinic, Phillips County Insurance, Phillips County News, Promises "His" Coffee & Cottage Shoppe, Randy's Welding & Machine Shop, Robin's Roost, Sew Sassy, Shear Essence, Spare Change, Stockman Bar, Stretch's Pizza, The Closet, Todd's Technology Store, Tulips and Treasures, Valley Drug, Westside Restaurant, Westside Self Service & C-Store, and Westside Sports & Malta Marine.