LEWISTON — At 6:19 p.m., standing in his sleigh, counting down from 10 on a bullhorn, Santa Claus lit the tree in Kennedy Park on Saturday, then zipped across the river to do the same in Auburn’s jampacked Festival Plaza.

Christmas was on.

In Festival Plaza, Gayle Johnson of Auburn held aloft a handmade sign reading, “Thank you Santa & Mrs. Claus.”

She’s a friend of the Clauses.

“They’re beautiful people, very special people,” she said. The thanks was “for coming to Auburn for all of us, and for the community.”

Hundreds of people turned out for the annual Parade of Lights and tree lightings. The parade had 23 entries, two more than last year, according to Dottie Perham-Whittier, Lewiston’s community relations coordinator. 

There were bicycles strung with festive lights, public works vehicles from both cities strung with lights, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, floats done up like trains and a camping scene. Elves handed out candy canes to kids along the route.

“He doesn’t know what to think of it,” said Kendra Boulay of Turner, cradling 9-day-old Grayson in her arms. He was, potentially, the youngest person in the crowd of cheers and hot chocolate. “Last night we did the Feztival of Trees and Mrs. Claus said there was a 5-day-old there,” Boulay said.

The parade was part of a larger daylong celebration organized by the Lewiston Downtown Holiday Celebration Committee, the Auburn Business Association and the Union of Maine Visual Artists-LA with a tie-in to Small Business Saturday. People were encouraged to walk both downtowns and to shop locally.

At a craft fair at Baxter Brewing, dozens of people crowded around tables of locally made candles, onesies, pottery and even, appropriately for the venue, beer lotion. 

Tom Esty of New Gloucester said the latter, a mix of beer, cocoa and coffee in a hand cream, had been invented by his wife, Jen, for their company, Human Nature.

He was manning the booth solo.

“She had to go home to make more stuff,” Esty said. “Everyone’s pretty surprised (when they see beer lotion) but most people who try it say they like it.”

Barbara Violette of Lewiston said she’d been busy with people interested in “Violette,” her line of all-natural bath and skin care that included skull and gingerbread man-shaped fizzy bath bombs and citrus-smelling creams.

“People are looking for (all-natural) today,” Violette said. “They like the fact that I make it in my home — my kitchen smells good.”

Christine McDowell, who works in the theater department at Bates College, was at her second craft fair with Vintage Advantage, a line of 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s handmade, whimsical aprons.

“I love vintage textiles and patterns,” she said. “As a costume designer, it’s the kind of thing you can fall in love with easily. I think aprons should come back as something to be worn. They’re incredibly useful objects, but I want them to be fun, too. Fun and pretty.”

Rainbow Bikes won a window-decorating contest that was part of the event. After the community Menorah and tree were lit in Festival Plaza, the parade winners were announced: Best business float went to Gritty’s, best youth float to the Young Professionals of the Lewiston-Auburn Area and best nonprofit float to the Elks Club.

After that, Santa and Mrs. Claus took to a park bench for photos.

The Ritchies of Lewiston — mother Leeanne, father Josh, and Jaylee, 2, Jonathan, 6, and Bubba, 7 — were one of the first families to squeeze onto the bench with them.

“The kids have fun and it kicks off the holiday season,” Leeanne Ritchie said.

Katie Giasson of Sabattus, dressed in a hat with elf ears, stood to the side watching kids pose with the Clauses. She and her husband, Ron, have been driving the truck that pulls the sleigh in the parade for 20-plus years. It’s a fun job.

“I love the little kids: their faces, the expressions, saying hi to Santa,” she said. “So cute.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com