Your Guide to the Lighting Festivities at The Village of Rochester Hills

Santa and holiday joy arrive tonight at the Village of Rochester Hills with the annual "Light the Village" celebration.

Here's what you need to know before you go:

• What's happening? A parade, Santa's arrival, musical entertainment and the illumination of 850,000 lights. The festivities begin at 5:30; the lights go on at 7 p.m.
• What to bring? A new toy to donate to the Salvation Army as part of the Village's first-ever toy drive. If you donate a toy, you'll get a raffle ticket to win one of four grand prizes (for details on the prizes, check out this blog post on the Village's website.)
• Special guests: We asked Patch readers who should help light the Village; we picked a winner from a list of heartfelt nominees. The Spehn family, along with Tiffany Patzer, will help Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett turn on the lights. Read more about them here.  
• There's a parade: The Stoney Creek High School marching band, along with the Rochester Hills Fire Department, will highlight a parade through the village beginning at 6:45 p.m.

For all of the details, including special giveaways offered up by Village restaurants, visit www.thevorh.com