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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Fairfield turns on its Christmas Spirit
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD – Lori Fry and Pete Tollenaere counted backwards from 10, and when they got to zero, they turned on the holiday lights in Fairfield’s Central Park.
Fry and Tollenaere were given the honor of turning on the holiday lights Friday, Nov. 29 as the two reigning Citizens of the Year. That awards banquet was held back in April in the comfortable confines of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, but Friday’s lighting ceremony was a date with Old Man Winter as the roughly 500 spectators braved freezing temperatures.
“It’s the coldest one I’ve been to, and Pam Craff said it was the coldest one she’s been to, and she’s done it 20 years,” said Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mendy McAdams. “My toes were thoroughly frozen when I went home.”
The Fairfield High School choir entertained the crowd with Christmas carols for 30 minutes leading up to the lighting ceremony. After the lights came on, children visited Santa in his house, and while they waited in line, they enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate. After the children received a free book, candy cane and photo, they headed to Santa’s workshop where they put the finishing touches on an ornament courtesy of the SkillsUSA class at Fairfield High School.
“Kids were jumping up and down because they were so excited to see Santa,” McAdams said. “For some of them, this is their only time to see Santa. That’s why it’s important for us that this continues to be a free event, because we want everyone in our community to have that opportunity.”
McAdams said about 200 children saw Santa Friday night, and a bit less than that saw him the following night. She said a lot of families choose to visit Santa on a different weekend when he’s not so busy, and she suspects some were kept away last weekend because of the cold.
SkillsUSA Advisor Vannen Crabtree and his students created 1,000 ornaments to distribute. This year, the ornament was a Christmas tree made of plywood and cut with tools that the chamber of commerce donated to the club last year to thank the members for this kind gesture. McAdams said involving local high school students in the Christmas celebration on the square is something fairly recent, but it’s also paying homage to the history of collaboration between the chamber and high school that goes back about 60 years when students built the carousel of reindeer in the bandstand.
“We want to have the kids involved,” McAdams said. “It’s how kids learn responsibility, and this is creating a better workforce for our community.”
The free books were made possible by donations from AERON LifeStyle Technology, Smith Auto Parts and Sales Inc. and First MainStreet Insurance. McAdams said the chamber used the money they got for books to partner with Scholastic where they got a deal on books, receiving 80 percent off, free shipping, and 20 free books for every $150 the chamber spent. Thanks to the business donations and this deal from Scholastic, the chamber was able to purchase about 1,500 books.
The hot cocoa, cookies, cups and napkins were compliments of ReHab Visions, Washington State Bank and MidWestOne Bank. Residents got to enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides courtesy of Dexter Laundry. Candy canes were supplied by Hy-Vee and McDonalds. This year’s presenting sponsor was Everybody’s Whole Foods.
Santa will continue to receive youngsters every Friday and Saturday from 6-8:30 p.m. until Christmas. Different companies have volunteered to send helpers each night. McAdams said a lot of people are contributing to make this event a success.
“It’s amazing how many people come out of the woodwork to volunteer,” McAdams said. “Our community always steps up.”
The following is a list of the remaining dates to see Santa, and the organizations that are volunteering that day:
• Friday, December 6 - ServPro
• Saturday, December 7 – Cambridge
• Friday, December 13 – Behner Funeral Home and Roth & Norton Family Dentistry
• Saturday, December 14 – AERON LifeStyle Technology
• Friday, December 20 – Live Wire Electric, Straight Up Doors, and Community 1st Credit Union
• Saturday, December 21 – Hy-Vee
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
