Before the Thanksgiving and Black Friday rush, the City of Troy is providing an opportunity for Christmas fun and shopping on the Square this weekend with the annual Downtown Christmas Open House.

Leigh Anne Windham with the City of Troy said there will be some fun new elements to the event this year while some of the main staples of the event will remain as always.

Saturday, children will get a free Christmas train ride around downtown.

The train will load and unload in front of Confetti Crate from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Windham said the event is beginning earlier this year due to the Troy University football game at 2:30 p.m. “We want to encourage everybody to do both,” Windham said.

The open house will continue until 5 p.m., but Windham said shops have varying hours.

Open House will continue Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with the opportunity to get pictures with Santa under the white tent in the center of the Square.

There will also be two performance by the First Baptist Church puppet ministry Sunday, one at 1:30 p.m. and one at 2:30 p.m. at the center of the Square.

As always, the open house will include the Downtown Dollars Giveaway.

“All you have to do to enter is make three purchases at participating shops and restaurants downtown during the open house,” Windham said.

Purchases at the shops or boutiques must be $25 or more to qualify and purchases at participating restaurants must be $10 or more. Once all three eligible purchases have been made, the entry can be made into an entry container, which Windham said will be placed at all participating businesses.

At the end of each day, an entry will be drawn and one lucky shopper will win $500 downtown dollars, spendable downtown just like real cash.

“It would be really great to be the winner because you’ve got  a lot of money for Christmas shopping downtown,” Windham said.

The following businesses are participating in the Downtown Dollars Giveaway:

• B. Graves

• Blooming Ridge Boutique

• Douglas Bros. Jewelry

• Family Ties Boutique

• First Impression

• Glow

• Hazel’s

• Home Gallery

• Momma Goldberg’s

• Neighborhood Barre

• Posh & P Boutique

• Rustic Linen

• Sips on the Square

• Southern Scents & Sensations

• The Confetti Crate

• The Pink Parlor

Shop hours on Saturday are:

• Blooming Ridge Boutique¬ 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

• Cynthia’s Boutique 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Douglas Bros. Jewelry 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Family Ties Boutique 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• First Impression 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

• Glow 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Hazel’s 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Home Gallery 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

• Neighborhood Barre 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Posh & P Boutique 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Rustic Linen 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Smoke-N-Ash 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Southern Scents & Sensations 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• The Confetti Crate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• The Pink Parlor 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Three Notch Antiques 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.