Picture Pittsfield hosts 4th Annual Deer Santa Festival on the Pike County Courthouse Square

By Editor | November 15, 2022 |

The 4th annual Pittsfield Deer Santa Festival is scheduled for 3-6 p.m. Sunday. Dec. 4, around the Pike County Courthouse Square. Plans for the 2022 Deer Santa Festival are ongoing, so the information below is subject to change. All information can be found at DeerSantaFestival.com

Some of the event highlights for 2022 are:

Visit and photos with Santa at the William Watson Hotel, Deer Santa Yard Deer Display Challenge, live llamas from K&T Llamas, performances by S&S School of Dance and the First Christian Church Youth Choir, carolers, a kids ‘painting activity by the Pike County Art Guild, Living Windows in participating businesses around the Square, a StoryWalk from the Pittsfield Public Library, and the Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree at 5:30 p.m.

Santa’s Mailbox will be open, and decorated wreaths will be on display in the windows of the Pike County Community Art Center.

Deer Santa Yard Deer Display Challenge

Picture Pittsfield had a number of deer on display last year and they are hoping to grow the herd even bigger! To make it convenient for you, the Pike County Art Guild is partnering with the Community Art Center and Pikeland Motors. They are hosting a Wooden Deer and Wreath Decorating Workshop on Saturday, November 19 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Art Center. Purchase a never painted deer or bring in your previously painted deer. Never painted deer will be delivered to the Art Center for you. Use their supplies and keep the mess with them! They will even deliver it to the square for you. A limited number of wreaths are also available to decorate.

Go to https://forms.gle/9XYBU1PZYWHzipsb6
to select your deer of choice and/or wreath.

If you prefer to decorate a deer on your own, you can purchase a blank wooden yard deer through Picture Pittsfield for $40. Pickup is available now at Pikeland Motors. 118 N. Monroe St., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Deer will be sold on a first come, first served basis, no holds or pre-orders. When you pick up your blank deer, please pay the $40 cost by cash or check made out to Picture Pittsfield only – no credit or debit cards.

If you have a deer from last year, you can enter it as is, or redecorate it. To enter your previous year’s deer in the display, it will be a $10 donation, cash or check made out to Picture Pittsfield. These donations will go toward Deer Santa Festival expenses and materials. The $10 is payable at deer display drop off on December 4th.

Decorate your deer any way you like (family friendly, please!), give it a name, and then deliver it back to the Pittsfield courthouse square between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. December 4th for judging. Be sure to give it to a Picture Pittsfield volunteer so the proper info can be recorded for your entry into the contest. Top deer will win fun prizes! Deer need to be removed from the courthouse lawn by their owners between Sunday, Jan. 1 and Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.

Christmas Wreath Display

Businesses and individuals are invited to “adopt” an undecorated wreath from the Pike County Art Guild and Picture Pittsfield for $10 and decorate it. Wreaths can be decorated at the Wooden Deer and Wreath Event on November 19 or picked up and decorated on your own. Wreaths decorated on your own should be returned to the Pike County Art Center by December 1. A limited number of wreaths are available and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. The wreaths will be on display for the first time December 4th in the windows of the Pike County Art Center during the Deer Santa Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting events.

The Deer Santa Festival was launched in 2019 as a project of the community organization, Picture Pittsfield. Area businesses and organizations host holiday activities around the community and are promoted on the Picture Pittsfield website and Facebook page.

Picture Pittsfield is a group of volunteer citizens, organized with the help of the Western Illinois University Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs MAPPING program, who are working to improve the quality of life for the city of Pittsfield, Ill., residents and guests, through its parks, festivals, attractions, retail businesses, dining experiences, business development and more.