This Saturday, a cherished Christmas tradition comes back to town for the 70th Annual Santa Claus Movie in Gull Lake.

Manager of the Lyceum Theatre, Cole Girodat, said that along with a family-friendly movie, folks can have a visit from Mr. Claus himself afterwards.

"The traditional started in 1949 by the owner, Herb Partridge," Girodat said. "And it's been going every year since that we can."

While some years have been missed due to the theatre burning down and the COVID-19 pandemic, they have held it for 69 years total now. 

On December 10 at 2:30 the big screen lights up, but folks are encouraged to arrive as early as possible to keep the line flowing and to secure a seat. 

The free feature film this year is The Bad Guys, a family movie that was released in the spring and was a hit over the summer.

"We just love that everyone is so excited every year to see a free kids movie and then meet Santa afterwards," said Girodat. "It's just so nice to see our theatre full for that day--full of kids and full of people excited."