Santa and friends to arrive at Southern Park Mall November 18, mall to host various holiday festivities

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story stated that every Monday in December kids could hear a classic Christmas story from various characters. This information came from a press release from the Southern Park Mall. We've since learned that these story time events will take place on Thursdays. The story has been updated to reflect this.

Folks looking to get into the Christmas spirit can head over to the Southern Park Mall in Boardman on Saturday, November 18 to welcome Santa and his friends, as well as partake in plenty of holiday activities.

The day of festivities will kick off with a parade at 11:00 a.m. starting in the DeBartolo Commons Concourse and continuing into the mall.

Santa will be in the parade alongside The Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, Boardman Township officials, the Boardman High School Marching Band and cheerleaders, as well as other local school cheerleaders and mascots.

Following the parade, families can pay Santa a visit at his house in Center Court for a photo opportunity and to tell him their Christmas wishes. Santa will continue to be in Center Court up until Christmas Eve.

If you'd like to reserve your visit with Santa, you can do so by clicking here. 

Additional festivities will continue through 2:00 p.m. and will include face painting, balloon artists and story time featuring Cindy Lou Who and The Grinch.

Admission is free, but families are still encouraged to bring a toy donation valued at least $10 to help kick off the Salvation Army's "Army of Toys" campaign. With every toy donation, guests will be entered to win a $500 shopping spree at the Southern Park Mall.

The winner of the shopping spree will be announced at the conclusion of the event at 2:00 p.m.

If you want to bring your furry friends to visit Santa, you can do so on select dates including November 20, November 27, December 4 and December 11 between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Walkups are welcome, but you can also reserve the visit with your pet using the link provided above. You're asked to keep your pet on a leash at these events.

Every Thursday in December, families are invited to share a classic Christmas story with characters including Elf On the Shelf, Mrs. Clause and Cindy Lou Who between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and enjoy free face painting.

For ice skaters, The Rink in DeBartolo Commons is scheduled to open November 24. More details including hours and special events at The Rink will be available at a later time.

If you're too busy to wrap gifts this holiday season, the Southern Park Mall will be offering gift wrapping services at The Balloon Store beginning November 25.

Services will be available Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Prices start at $3.