Good morning, St. Cloud.

St. Cloud pulses with holiday cheer this weekend as families enjoy the Youth Chorale concert Sunday (4:00 and 7:00 p.m.) and shop at winter markets on Saturday at Neese Collective and the River’s Edge Convention Center.

Kids can also meet Santa for photos at local venues on Saturday.

The Department of Transportation invites locals to submit fun names for its Name a Snowplow Contest until noon on Dec.

19, with winners announced in January for the upcoming season. Submissions must be 30 characters (letters and spaces) or less and free of profanity.

Local helper Nichol (the Cat Whisperer) offers Cat Cooler Shelters to warm feral cats in the Elk River area, using her volunteer work and personal loss as the drive behind the project.

The shelters are available if supplies last.

The St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra will perform two holiday concerts on Sunday at Ritsche Auditorium on SCSU’s campus: a children’s Holiday Concert at 1:00 p.m. free for under-17s and, two hours later, the Festival of Frolic & Reflection with tickets at $30 for adults and $5 for students.

Catholic Community School is halfway to its $6 million goal to upgrade aging facilities and tech.

The Cross Works Foundation will match up to $200,000 per year over five years — the school must raise $135,000 by Dec. 31 to unlock the match.

The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority has announced $91.7 million in low-interest loans and grants to upgrade water systems in 26 cities, including St. Cloud's $2,362,966 allocation for drinking water and wastewater improvements plus additional funding to address emerging PFAS contaminants.

Ten new weather stations will be installed in select cities, including Melrose and Sauk Centre, to improve local weather monitoring and severe weather alerts, officials said.

The project, funded through the Public Safety Foundation, will share real-time data with the National Weather Service.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation invites locals to submit creative names for snowplows on its website until noon Friday, Dec.

19 (30 characters max). MnDOT will review entries and open voting in January to choose winners for its eight districts.

St. Cloud residents must clear all sidewalks within 24 hours of any snowfall to keep walkways safe.

City crews will remove unshoveled snow and bill property owners if the rule is not followed.

At a housing summit on Wednesday, Dec.

10, national policy expert Tobias Peter recommended that St. Cloud adjust development rules to allow builders to use slightly smaller lot sizes. He said this change could lower home prices from around $350,000 to a range more affordable for middle-income families.

Former Eden Valley-Watkins standout Nolan Geislinger received the Northwoods League 'Finest in the Field' award Tuesday morning after posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage for the St. Cloud Rox in summer 2025, and the 20-year-old shined during his freshman season at Iowa Western CC.

Stearns County Parks is setting up ski trails at Warner, Kraemer, Mississippi and Quarry parks as early snowfall holds, and Quarry Park will host a Moonlight Ski event on January 9.

County crews will designate multi-use trails to keep skiing paths clear.

St. Cloud Ballroom Dance Club

5:30-8 p.m. — Sta-Fit — Affordable entry — Learn the basics of ballroom dancing and enjoy a fun evening of music and dance.

Tonic Sol-Fa's Final Seasonal Run

7:30-9 p.m. — Paramount Center for the Arts — Tickets required — Celebrate the festive season with Tonic Sol-fa's memorable farewell performance alongside the Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience.

Radio Nation - A Tribute to Steve Miller and The Cars

7:30-10:30 p.m. — Pioneer Place On Fifth — Ticket prices vary — Relive the magic of the 70s and 80s with iconic hits from Steve Miller and The Cars.