Skowhegan Celebrates with 'Shop Small Week' + 'SKOW-Whoville'

The Skowhegan area is getting ready for the holiday season with the upcoming Skowhegan Shop Small Week and SKOW-Whoville.

Skowhegan Shop Small Week runs Nov. 27 – Dec. 4 and SKOW-Whoville is scheduled for Dec. 3-4.

Both events are organized by Main Street Skowhegan and supported by nearly two dozen local business sponsors.

Skowhegan Shop Small Week and the Passport to Savings Program are back for the sixth year and will kick off on Small Business Saturday, November 27. Three dozen businesses are participating this year, each offering a different discount or incentive to shoppers. Russakoff Jewelers will give shoppers a free gift card with every purchase of $50 or more. The Bankery and Skowhegan Fleuriste will feature any size regular coffee – hot or iced – for $1 on Small Business Saturday, and buy-three-get-one-free Stonewall Kitchen products all week long. Shoppers who are in the market for a vehicle can take advantage of the Hight Family of Dealerships promotion: Purchase a new or used vehicle at one of the three Skowhegan-based Hight dealerships and receive $100 to spend at a locally owned Skowhegan business of your choice as well as 15% off truck gear and coolers.

With every purchase made at a participating local business, shoppers can enter to win one of two $100 gift cards or two $50 gift cards to the locally owned business of their choice. Prizes are underwritten by the Hight Family of Dealerships.

Shoppers can get passports at any participating Skowhegan business or online at mainstreetskowhegan.org.

Also, the holidays kick into high gear with the return of SKOW-Whoville, Skowhegan’s ode to the Grinch, supported by Maine Roof Solutions. Friday, Dec. 3 will feature a free showing of The Grinch (2018 version) at Spotlight Cinemas at The Strand, a parade through downtown with an anticipated 40 floats, and appearances from the Grinch himself.

On Saturday, Dec. 4, teams will Search for the Grinch’s Heart, participating in a scavenger hunt with dozens of Skowhegan and Grinch-themed clues. Nearly 100 teams from all over Central Maine have already registered, excited to compete for the $500 cash prize underwritten by Computer Improvements and Key Appliance.

In addition to the Search for the Grinch’s Heart, families are invited to enjoy activities in Coburn Park with Skowhegan Outdoors, including Grinch-themed bowling, Grinch-y ornament-making, a self-guided Grinch storywalk, and more. Other community activities round out the SKOW-Whoville schedule, including two craft fairs in downtown, brunch at Skowhegan’s new wine bar Unwined, and a play at the Skowhegan Opera House.

Main Street Skowhegan’s Executive Director Kristina Cannon says:

We are excited to again highlight Skowhegan as a destination for the holidays. The events we have planned for the next few weeks are designed to bring people to Skowhegan to shop, eat, drink, recreate, and be merry. With three dozen businesses participating in Shop Small Week and nearly two dozen sponsors and a dozen or more volunteers supporting the return of the Grinch to Skowhegan during SKOW-Whoville, the holidays are full of community pride and holiday cheer, and we couldn’t be happier to be part of it.

For more information or to register a parade float or team for the Search for the Grinch’s Heart, visit mainstreetskowhegan.org.