The small town atmosphere of Coupeville will show its big holiday spirit.

The annual Greening of Coupeville takes place Saturday, Dec. 6 and features a wide range of activities to kick off the Christmas season.

Community groups will be out in force for the annual parade that starts at 4 p.m.

Organizer Carol Thrailkill said she has around 30 participants lined up for the parade.

“We’ve got lots of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the high school band,” Thrailkill said, adding that she hopes to find more groups to participate. Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue, Toby’s Tavern, and the Creative Garden are just a few of the always-popular participants in the annual holiday parade.

“It’ a great small-town parade,” Thrailkill said. Santa, of course, will be riding his sleigh and bringing up the rear of the parade.

The parade starts at Prairie Center on South Main Street and heads to the other side of town, finishing on Front Street.

Following the parade is the traditional tree lighting taking place at Cook Park at the corner of North Main and Ninth Street.

The parade and tree lighting are just two of the smattering of events taking place as Central Whidbey celebrates the Greening.

For the first time, the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce is organizing its Jingle Trail Run and Walk, which takes place at 10 a.m. at Fort Ebey State Park. The 5K run or one mile walk takes places through the trails of the state park.

Lynda Eccles, executive director for the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce, said members wanted to organize an athletic event and thought the day of the Greening of Coupeville would be a good time to hold such a race.

“We thought it would be fun to start our annual run/walk on that day,” Eccles said.

The race will help folks familiarize themselves with the numerous trails in the park while raising money at the same time.

Eccles said a portion of the money raised from the race will go toward a local nonprofit while the remainder will benefit chamber programs. She said which charity that will receive the donation hasn’t been decided yet.

The race begins at 10 a.m. and the course is described as moderately difficult with topography ranging between 300 feet and sea level. Entry fee the day of the race is $15.

The Greening of Coupeville finishes, weather permitting, with the lighted boat parade and the art and antique walk taking place on historic Front Street in downtown Coupeville. The decorated boats pass by from their Oak Harbor Marina base.

The galleries, gift shops and antique stores that line the historic street will be open later that evening. From 5 to 8 p.m. shoppers can peruse the merchandise, enjoy snacks and listen to musicians wandering the sidewalks.

The Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association is continuing its Red Ticket promotion. For every $20 spent at participating businesses, shoppers will receive a ticket for a drawing to win $1,000.

Mary Sterling of the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association said the promotion is a “100 percent shop local campaign,” and helps local money remain on Whidbey Island.