Downtown Tonganoxie will be decorated as Whoville for this year’s tree lighting. Festivities are expected to start at 3 p.m. Nov. 22 in downtown Tonganoxie.

Carriage rides will begin at 3 p.m. and story time is expected to start at the library about 3:30 p.m.

Dance teams will perform at 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Fourth and Delaware streets.

Santa Claus is set to make a visit, as is the Grinch.

“We do also hope to have businesses doing various activities for the kids,” Tonganoxie Mayor Jason Ward said. “A drawing activity and Whoville-related things will be going on business to business.”

Entrepreneurs Achieving Success Together will be decorating the downtown area with a Whoville theme. EAST member Rachel Kelly will be painting various stanzas of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on windows of businesses that want the artwork. Between 12 and 14 stanzas from the book will be displayed in windows, along with the decorations.

Businesses are encouraged to decorate their storefronts in the Whoville color scheme: lime green, pink, yellow, purple, turquoise and orange.

EAST members are creating additional decorations to put throughout downtown.

Elementary school students also are expected to perform songs during the event.

Ward also is continuing his annual food drive challenge with Tonganoxie Elementary School students.

Students in kindergarten through fourth grade have until Nov. 20 to bring in canned food items. The class with the most canned items brought in will get to help Ward at the tree lighting Nov. 22, which will be in the new pocket park being constructed south of council chambers.

The class that gathers the most items by Dec. 12 will have a pizza party with the mayor at a later date. All proceeds will go to the Good Shepherd Thrift Store and Food Bank.

“I’m always amazed by the response that the kids have,” Ward said. “The amount of food the elementary school has gathered over the last couple years is just unbelievable.

“They fill the pantry every time we have the contest.”

The tree lighting will take place between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Nov. 22.