CMU Greek community decks the houses for Dickens Christmas

This weekend, the city of Mount Pleasant will come to life with holiday cheer as the annual Dickens Christmas Festival brings season joy to downtown Mount Pleasant. As part of a collaboration with Central Michigan University, Main Street will be aglow with Christmas spirit as the CMU Greek community decks the fraternity and sorority houses for the festival.

 

Each fraternity and sorority house on Main Street will be decorated in the holiday spirit as part of a competition for “Most Festive House.” The winner of the competition will receive a trophy for their efforts and a $250 prize to be awarded to the philanthropy of the winner’s choice.

 

Michelle Sponseller, downtown development director for the City of Mount Pleasant, says for the first time in the 25-year history of the festival, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to take a hayride on Main Street to admire the decorated Greek houses.

 

“The best part is this festival has been around for 25 years, and this is the first time we’ve partnered with the Greek organizations,” Sponseller said. “I’m hoping we can grow our partnership from this point forward.”

 

Van Wert, Ohio, senior Brock Thatcher, vice president of alumni relations for the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, says his 52-member fraternity intends to spend up to 10 hours working on decorating their house to compete with approximately 15 other Greek houses on the street.

 

“I’m really excited for the city to be working with Greek Life,” Thatcher said. “We want to show that Greek Life supports not only our campus, but the city of Mount Pleasant as well.”

 

Thatcher says he has encouraged his fraternity brothers and the other Greek organizations to borrow lights and decorations from their parents and family members to reduce costs. As part of the hayride tour on Main Street, some Greek members, like the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, intend to sing Christmas carols and dance on their lawns as they celebrate the holiday season.

 

Petoskey junior and Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority member Rachel Serafini says being involved in the Dickens Christmas Festival has given her a reason to get excited about her favorite season of the year.

 

“The festival gives me even more incentive to put up lights and decorations for everyone to see,” Serafini said. “I want people to look at our house and think about how happy the holiday season is.”

 

The Dickens Christmas Festival hayrides begin Nov. 30 from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. at the corner of Main and Michigan streets. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information on the festival and other holiday entertainment, click here.