Holiday events abound locally this weekend

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, all around the town and everywhere around the county as well.

As the month of December has arrived, a huge number of weekend activities are planned in celebration of the holiday. They include:

-- First Friday arrival of Santa Claus Friday (tonight) at the Putnam County Courthouse. He will meet with children in the rotunda 6-8 p.m.

-- The 15th annual Community Christmas Choir at Russellville with programs at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

-- The Tri-Kappa Breakfast With Santa, 8-11 a.m. Saturday at Deer Meadow School in Greencastle.

-- The 25th annual Holiday Cookie Sale at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

-- United We Give holiday fundraiser 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Mill Pond Health Campus, 1014 Mill Pond Lane, Greencastle. Proceeds benefit the United Way.

-- The Cloverdale Christmas Parade, set to begin downtown at 1 p.m., followed by a photo op with Santa in his house across from the fire station.

-- Just Desserts event to aid Clothe-a-Child at Cloverdale High School, 4 p.m. Saturday (preceded by arts and crafts fair, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.).

-- The sixth annual DePauw University School of Music Holiday Gala with two performances in the Green Center’s Kresge Auditorium. A full-length version is at 7 p.m. Saturday with a shorter, one-hour program for families and children at 3 p.m. Sunday.