The magic of the Christmas season will be on display all across our region this weekend.

From Cadiz to Chester, and many locations in between, this weekend will offer a wide variety of things to see, hear and do.

Hundreds of residents from across the Tri-State Area are expected to pack the streets of downtown Steubenville at noon Saturday for the annual Sights and Sounds of Christmas Parade.

Sponsored by Eastern Gateway Community College, the parade will feature marching bands and cheerleaders, dancing groups, homecoming queens, colorful floats sponsored by community organizations and local businesses and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Delores Wiggins, a longtime civil rights activist and community leader, has been selected as the grand marshal.

She is an accomplished musician, having served as minister of music at Quinn Memorial AME Church. The longtime chair of the Steubenville Civil Service Commission also founded the Ohio Valley Black Caucus and served as president of the Steubenville Branch of the NAACP.

The parade is just one of many activities happening downtown. Already, thousands of visitors have viewed the 200 nutcrackers that make up Steubenville’s Nutcracker Village and visited the Holiday Market and Christmas at the Fort at Historic Fort Steuben. Those visitors also have been able to view the 25 decorated trees that are part of the tree decorating competition, participate in the Nutcracker Story Walk and enjoy a hayride through downtown.

“Wooden Heart Follies,” an original nutcracker-themed musical production, returns after a two-year hiatus, with performances continuing through Sunday, the Holiday Hike in Beatty Park is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, the open house at the Grand Theater for the Performing Arts will be held Saturday and the St. Nicholas Day Lantern Parade is set for Sunday.

Also Saturday, the streets of the Gem City will come to life at 5:30 p.m. when Focus in Toronto presents its annual Christmas parade.

Chester’s parade will start at 3 p.m. and will come at the end of a full day of activities, while the annual Cadiz parade is set to begin at 6 p.m. And, Follansbee’s light-up event will begin at 4:30 p.m.

The first Wintersville Winter Weekend will run Saturday and Sunday and will feature light-up events at Wintersville United Methodist Church on Saturday and the Municipal Building on Sunday, music, fun, food and ice skating each day. Luminaria will be lighted along Main Street at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the village’s annual Christmas parade is set to begin at 3 p.m. Sunday. Sunday also will feature a 7 p.m. Carpenters Christmas Concert featuring Haley Joy Gaglione at Wintersville United Methodist Church.

All of these events are made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers in each community — as well as the support of local businesses.

They are designed to help bring the Christmas spirit to life. We hope you will participate in spreading that special feeling that comes with the holidays.