The Borough of Christiana is presenting a Fourth of July porch decorating contest. As part of the first-time event, residents are asked to decorate their front porches and homes with red, white and blue to celebrate Independence Day.

The event, which is open to borough residents only, was the idea of MaryAnne Schneider, borough administrative assistant, who wanted to offer a special activity this year since many contests and events were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. "We do Christmas at Christiana, where everyone goes all out to decorate," she said. "I hope (people do the same) for this contest and make the town pop."

Local businesses have donated the following prizes: first place, $200 gift card, Stoltzfus Feed and Supply; second place, $100 gift card, Dutch-Way Farm Market; and third place, $25 gift card, Pasquale's Pizza. There will also be an honorable mention winner, who will receive a gift basket donated by Stoltzfus Feed and Supply.

Schneider and new borough manager Bobbi Maser will be in charge of judging, which will take place on Thursday, July 1, from noon to 4 p.m. "We are going take photos, load them onto the computer, go through them and judge," said Schneider. "We are looking for patriotic (displays) and something that really (stands out)."

Photos of the decorated porches and homes will be posted on the "Christiana Borough" and "Christiana Friends and Neighbors" Facebook pages. "There will be an album to sift through," Schneider noted. "We have a lot of elderly that can't get out or walk around and look, so they will be able to enjoy the decorations from home and see what people have done."

Preregistration for the decorating contest is required by Friday, June 25. To register, contact Schneider at christianawater@comcast.net or 610-593-5199, ext. 2. People may also register by placing their names and addresses in the dropbox at the borough building, 10 W. Slokom Ave., Christiana.

For more information and to view complete contest rules, search for "Christiana Borough" on Facebook and view the post from May 19.

"It will be hard to pick three winners and a runner-up, but that is the nature of a contest," Schneider added. "I'm excited; it will be fun."