Sleigh Rides: Wells Federal Bank, weather permitting

Christmas Music: By Beckmann & Vee Appliance & TV

Pictures with Santa: Paragon Bank

Ambulance Soup Supper: Ambulance Garage 4 p.m. – gone

Lighting of City Holiday Lights: 5 p.m.

Home Based Business Sales: City Hall 4-7 p.m.

HO HO HO Contest: By City Hall 6 p.m.

Hospice Light Up A Life: Broadway Apartments, 7 p.m.

Free Movie: “Ice Age III” Sponsored by People’s State Bank of Wells and Wells Concrete Products; movie times 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

This city had so much success last year with moving its kickoff for the holiday shopping season ahead a week that it plans to keep it that way.

The Wells Area Chamber of Commerce moved Wells Does It Bright to the weekend before Thanksgiving to give shoppers an opportunity to visit Wells stores before heading out of town to major shopping centers on Black Friday.

“We’re a small town, and everybody on the day after Thanksgiving goes to the major shopping districts,” said Andrea Neubauer, executive director of the Wells Area Chamber of Commerce. “And when they come back to town, everybody is already burned out.”

Wells Does It Bright starts at 4 p.m. today and ends at 7 p.m.

She said businesses were happy with the move. Last year, they split between having a November shopping event and one in December. This year, she said, they are consolidated into today’s event.

Last year’s week-before-Turkey Day idea was so popular that the Wells Ambulance soup supper ran out of soup.

“We had a very good turnout,” she said.

The chamber coordinates the activities for Wells Does It Bright, Neubauer said, with a centerpiece being the film at The Flame movie theater. This the animated “Ice Age 3” is showing at 4 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. While the theater will be packed with children, she said she was glad to see senior citizens also in the theater last year.

“Even thought the movie is already out on DVD, watching it at home doesn’t compare to watching it at the theater and seeing it with a theater full of kids,” Neubauer said.

And what’s a holiday kickoff without Santa Claus? He will be at Paragon Bank for photographs.

Sleigh rides will depart from Wells Federal Bank, weather permitting.

Neubauer invited residents from other cities to shop in Wells today.

“See what we have,” she said. “It’s our Black Friday deals, just a week earlier.