Holiday on Main: A small-town Christmas event

MT. PLEASANT - As she watched her three daughters excitedly run around Mt. Pleasant's Central Park during Main Street's Holiday on Main, 31-year-old Katie Parker was reminded of her own childhood and love for Christmas.

'It's fun just to see them enjoy it. I was just as excited about stuff like this when I was a kid,” Parker said.

'I think it's cool. The small-town vibe and everyone getting together … how the whole community comes out. The girls always see someone they know or they know someone in one of the floats,” the mother, who originally hails from Phoenix, Arizona, added.

Since moving to Mt. Pleasant when she was in high school, Parker has attended the annual holiday event every winter for the last 16 years. It's a joyful family tradition that she gets to continue with her own children.

'We don't do a lot of gifts but the kids just love getting into the decorating and the food. It's a good feeling. Nobody is excited for the forever-winter but this sort of makes it a little better,” Parker remarked on the Christmas season in her household, and the fun events like Holiday on Main brings.

Audrey, 8, Izzy, 7, and 6-year-old Lauren echoed their mother's sentiments about what they love about the month of December.

'My favorite part is spending time with my mom,” Audrey said, quickly followed by a sweeping list from all three sisters, who listed food and cookie decorating as some of their favorite activities during the holidays.

During the annual holiday event last Thursday evening, Mt. Pleasant's downtown area transformed into Pleasantville, a play off Dr. Seuss' beloved 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” An automated Grinch sat on a corner of the park and came to life in song when it sensed motion near it and local children either excitedly ran up to the dancing machine or turned away in fear of the green, monster-looking character. Truffula trees from 'The Lorax” lined the pavement that runs through the park, making a path to Santa's house. As soon as Santa disembarked from his ride on the Firetruck during the parade, a line of beaming children and their families spanned the entirety of the park for their turn to sit on the jolly, gift-giving man's lap.

Like the Parkers, Celsey French, and her daughter, Danielle, 15, have also made a tradition of the event. While the pair from Salem have attended since Danielle was a young child, their favorite activity during the event is roasting chestnuts with Wiley's Furniture, which they've done for the last six years. The business hands out the chestnuts for free to those who are interested in trying some.

'I love seeing the kids enjoy it,” Celsey said of what keeps her coming back each year.

For Danielle, the most exciting part of Holiday on Main is 'the parade and seeing Santa.”

However the teenager is most excited for snow to come.

'Snowmen, snowball fights, slushies,” she listed, when describing what makes snow fun.

According to Lisa Oetken, director of Main Street, about 700 locals show up each year to enjoy some roasted chestnuts, hot chocolate and kettle corn, in addition to seeing Santa and taking pictures with the Grinch and Mary Lou.

Oetken explained that the holiday event has been going on for 17 years, ever since Main Street started.

'It brings the kids out … it's just a hometown Christmas event. We've had people proposing in front of the fountain at this event before,” Oetken said of the magical spirit that seems to come with the holidays.

While the event itself has been held for almost two decades, the holiday parade is just entering its second year. As the parade began, and floats drove by, children lined the streets to catch candy and wave to an assortment of characters. Before driving down the streets, the Chamber judged floats and recognized Midwest Old Threshers for Best of Show, Iowa Wesleyan for Best Community, Southeast Iowa Renal Dialysis for Best Business, Anne Davidson, a State Farm agent for Best Decorated Golf Cart and Ideal Ready Mix for Best Lighted float.

Horse-drawn carriage rides as well as a selection of holiday music performed by the middle school's 6th grade band kept people active and entertained after the conclusion of the parade.