Nov 06, 2025
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The Christmas Holiday Season is one time of the year when expectations run high and happiness is colorfully created through the harmonious possibilities generated when people make connections with one another throughout our community.
With this in mind, the organizers from Positive Results in Downtown Saginaw have pulled out all the stops to assure those connections ring strong and clear with a pair of stellar celebrations to kick off the holiday season.
Beginning with the 29th Annual ‘Holidays in the Heart of the City’ Celebration on Friday, November 21st at 5:30 PM with the Lighting Ceremony at the Saginaw Water Treatment Plant and concluding with a seasonal Fireworks Display from Ojibway Island at 8:30 pm, the following morning festivities continue with the 48th Annual Christmas Parade, which will start at 11:00 AM in Downtown Saginaw at Morley Plaza, traveling south on Washington from Johnson streets and then west on Ezra Rust Drive to Ojibway Island near the Court St. Bridge, featuring floats, marching bands, clowns, antique cars, costumed characters, historical units, and of course a welcomed appearance by Santa Claus himself!
According to Positive Results Director Ann Marie Batkoski-Sullivan, the theme for this year’s Christmas Parade will be A Golden Christmas in honor of Positive Result’s 50th Anniversary serving as a vital community organization dedicated to improving the quality of life throughout the city for five decades now.
“The Grand Marshall for this year’s Christmas Parade will be Dan Streeter,” she explains. “Dan serves as executive director of the City Rescue Mission of Saginaw, and grew up watching his father, Ken Streeter, volunteer and eventually also become director of the Mission.” Dan joined the ministry in 1992, serving as Director of Operations before leading the launch of Good Samaritan Rescue Mission in Bay City. In 2010, he became CEO of Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan, passionately working to combat homelessness while sharing the love of Christ.
“Santa will greet children at the reviewing stand in Morley Plaza from 10:30 AM until parade time,” explains Positive Results parade Chairman, Chuck Priem, who has been involved with the Christmas Parade for 29 years now.
“People will want to cross the river from Johnson Street because EZ Park is providing free parking from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM, so it’s a quick half-block walk to Morley Plaza to see Santa and watch the parade. Saginaw Public Schools is providing a viewing stand to watch the parade, and Santa will be greeting everyone at Morley Plaza in Downtown Saginaw from 10:30 to 10:55 AM just prior to the parade. Plus there will be free hot chocolate.”
The 15th annual Girl’s on the Run 5K Reindeer Run is also happening at 10:30 AM and is open to the public, usually getting about 700 participants, with registration starting at 9:00 AM at the Saginaw YMCA. The run will begin at the YMCA and end at the Andersen Enrichment Center.
According to Chuck, the committee is still receiving entries on parade floats and the deadline for entries will be around mid-November. People can enter the parade by contacting Positive Results in Downtown Saginaw or visiting their website. “We have 8 awards for the parades - a youth entry, business entry, nonprofit entry, best school involvement, best school entry, judges choice, the grand prize, and the best entry using music,” he explains. “So we have lots of awards, and the Saginaw Career Complex graciously helps us build the Santa and Grand Marshall floats. We also have busses in the parade and that way at the end they wait for people that need a ride back to their vehicles.”
Marching bands will be participating in the parade from Heritage and Hemlock High Schools, Reese High School, Saginaw United, and Carrollton. Other activities scheduled for Saturday include Old Town Saginaw Open Houses from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, a Sip ‘n Shop Makers Market from 11 am - 2 pm in the SVRC Marketplace lobby, activities and crafts at Hoyt Library from 1:00 to 4 pm, along with the Downtown Saginaw Farmer’s Market ‘Holiday Market at the Andersen Enrichment Center from 10:00 am - 1:00 PM; the Michigan Sugar/WSGW Cookie House Competition at the Andersen Enrichment Center from 10:00 am - 1:00 PM, with a Saginaw Eddy Band Concert at the Temple Theater at 7:30 PM.
Positive Results board member Dr. Jack Nash has been involved with these events since their inception and says, “Both of these events are the place to be. My own feeling is that many people come to simply see the architecture at the churches and experience the environment. They like the friendliness and enjoy the horse rides, along with Santa in the park greeting kids. It’s an experience that literally takes you back into time.”
“Saginaw & Midland are the only two cities with a holiday marching parade, and ironically, I was actually in the very first Christmas Parade held here in Saginaw back when they were starting up the Friendship Games. They decided we needed to have a mascot, so consequently I got rustled into being dressed up as an octopus, standing on top of a float with a bunch of arms waving at people. In fact, I still have a nice plaque that I received for that endeavor.”
For the previous evening’s Holidays in the Heart of the City’s kick-off celebration, according to Chairwoman Kathy Reis, who has filled that role since 2001 along with a committed collective of community volunteers, they have garnered the support of well over 20 community organizations and these back-to-back events draw an average of 20,000 people to Saginaw’s Old Town District, Downtown Saginaw, and Ezra Rust Park Drive for this glittering celebration of our community and its resources.
As for live entertainment, a Musical Open House will take place at First Presbyterian Church on Court Street from 5:00 - 5:45 PM, and Holy Cross Lutheran Church on Court Street will be featuring live music, children’s crafts, free cookies and a bake sale, while from 6:00 - 7:30 PM Michigan Avenue Baptist Church will feature concerts performed by Saginaw Strings and the Saginaw Area Concert Band. Next on the agenda, Holy Family Catholic Church will present Sacred Music in the Grove from 7:00 - 8:15 PM. “We also collect hats, gloves, mittens and scarves for infants to teens at these four different locations where the concerts are held,” notes Reis.
“For the Lighting Ceremony at the Water Treatment Plant, which kicks off our festivities at 5:45 PM, in addition to Santa Claus, the Saginaw Youth Choir will be showcasing their young talent, which makes this a bigger event than normal. The lights will go on at 6:00 PM, so essentially, we’ve been working hard at tweaking things in order to improve the overall celebration and make it brighter than ever,” adds Chuck.
“Students at Nouvel Catholic High School are working hard at bringing us an expanded Live Nativity performance at The Montague Inn on the front lawn from 5:30 - 8:30 pm, featuring music by the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra; and this year we’re hoping to have at least a dozen food vendors spanning the distance from Borchard Park to the Children’s Zoo, with a good variety of selections,” notes Ann Marie.
Admission to the Saginaw Children’s Zoo will also be free, with a small fee for Carousel rides, and Santa will be on hand at the Gazebo in Borchard Park in Old Town Saginaw, with the Saginaw Castle Museum strolling along the streets with cookies and their new mascot, Widget. Additionally, many of the Old Town businesses will be conducting special open houses, such as Old Town Distillery offering special holiday drinks, Artisan Urban Bistro serving up soup to go, and sweet treats available for purchase from The Bread Gal.
Free Horse Drawn Wagon Rides sponsored by the Frank L. Andersen Foundation begin at the Andersen Enrichment Center at 5:30 PM and travel along Ezra Rust Drive across the bridge to Borchard Park until 7:30 PM; and the annual Cookie House Competition will take place at the Andersen Enrichment Center, along with the Downtown Saginaw Farmers Market’s Holiday Market. “ With the horse driven wagon rides we do ask people stay on the sidewalks and off the streets, because it’s a popular attraction and slows the wagons down, making it difficult for people to get on when the roads are crowded,” advises Ann Marie.
“The Cookie House Competition entries are coming in now and last year we had a wonderful turnout, with 20 to 25 competitors,” explains Ann Marie. “Everybody gets a participation ribbon and then we present a $100.00 cash award to the top winner in each category along with a year’s supply of sugar donated by Michigan Sugar. We have professional, semi-pro, and freelance categories.
Entry forms can be obtained by phoning 989.753.9168 or by downloading the form available on www.prideinsaginaw.org and the deadline for entries will be coming up November 14th.”
This year’s itinerary for Holidays in the Heart of the City concludes at 8:30 pm with their spectacular Fireworks display at Ojibway Island, which is sponsored by the Maxwell K. Pribil Memorial Trust, administered by Huntington Bank, and will be entirely an aerial display so everyone in attendance can see them.
Positive Results Downtown Saginaw will also be hosting a Facebook Pampered Chef Fundraiser beginning November 13 and will run on Facebook for one week, but the party will remain open until after the Christmas parade on Saturday, November 22, 2025. PRIDE will receive a percent of sales that will help them host their free events for the community. “You may look online at their products to decide beforehand what items you might like,” notes Ann Marie. “Remember, Christmas is coming, and so many items will make great gifts. You can find them at www.pamperedchef.com.
“This is truly a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic event that draws thousands of people from throughout our region and state together to celebrate the spirit of the season,” concludes Lori Amo, Positive Results volunteer and board member. “There are so many activities going on through this celebration that bring the people within our community together, and they can walk the route, ride the horse drawn wagons, or take free busses across the bridge to get them wherever they wish to be.”
“We always welcome new volunteers to assist with these celebrations, “encourages Chuck. “My daughter Emma has been participating for about 14 years now and started when she was at White Pine Middle School. She’s a very focused and committed community volunteer who is very much involved with me on the Parade Committee.”
“Obviously, we always pray for good weather with both of these events,” he concludes. “The goal is always to encourage kids, families, and the entire community to come share the holiday spirit. These events have become a family tradition for so many. It lights that ember of the holiday glow and is a magnificent way to let the holiday spirit truly shine.”
“With Holidays in the Heart of the City and the Christmas Parade, you realize that Saginaw is indeed a true community because this is a multi-ethnic event,” summarizes Jack Nash. “You see people from every socio-economic circle gathering together to celebrate the holidays, which is pretty amazing and very fitting given the nature of both the season and these celebrations,”
Interested individuals that wish to participate in the parade or Holidays in the Heart of the City, may contact Ann Marie Batkoski-Sullivan at 989-233-6413, or email her at annmarie@prideinsaginaw.org
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