Santa’s visit is century-old Marengo tradition

A recent question posed to me was: “How long has the Marengo Legion been preparing treat sacks for the children of this community each Christmas as Santa comes to town?”

For many years, Santa has been arriving in Marengo prior to Christmas, greeting children, and distributing sacks of treats to all who come to meet him.

All sources indicate that this annual tradition began in the early to mid 1920s. The sacks of treats (candies and fruit) were assembled by the Marengo American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary.

The Legion was organized in December of 1919 at the close of World War I, and the post was named after Walter Wandling, the first Marengo resident to die in the war.

George McBride was the first commander and the group met in various locations before constructing the recently vacated Legion Hall at the corner of Lafayette and May Streets.

After World War II, the post was renamed the Wandling-Wendel Post 76, recognizing Orval Wendel, a Marengo native killed in France in 1944.

Working with the Marengo Commercial Club, the Legion prepared the sacks for Santa to give to children when he arrived in town. After the formation of the Marengo American Legion Auxiliary in 1922, the groups worked together to provide these treats.

As the Legion had no “home,” Santa greeted the children in the city square or inside a business location if weather was an issue at the time of his arrival.

A note in the Marengo Republican of December 1930 declared that Santa would arrive by train, coming from the west on the Rock Island #10, and would then be transported to the city square to greet the families assembled there.

After Santa’s visit in 1931, it was reported that over 500 sacks had been given out as Santa met the families at the Marengo Creamery Company.

The visit in 1932 was held at the Marengo City Hall.

Once the Legion had constructed its hall in 1932, Santa was able to be indoors at that location each year.

Receipts from the Santa Supper served each year in early December provided the funds to assemble the sacks which were given, not only to the children being greeted by Santa, but also to senior citizens and nursing home residents.

The Pioneer-Republican, in November of 1958, reported that over $10,000 had been given by the Legion and the Auxiliary to provide these treats since the visit from Santa began in the 1920s.

Tables were arranged at the Legion Hall and volunteers from both units each year formed an assembly line to pack these sacks.

In more recent years, as the ages of the volunteers increased and the numbers of volunteers decreased, it became a more difficult task.

Once the Iowa Valley Parent Teacher Organization began assembling bags, it was decided that our efforts could best be combined.

Hence, now both the Legion and the Auxiliary contribute annually toward the purchase of the contents of these sacks — still given out by Santa as he comes to Marengo prior to Christmas.

Santa will be at the new American Legion Hall, 1648 Franklyn Ave. from 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, during Marengo’s Jingle on the Square.

(Information for this document came from the scanning of early Marengo newspapers as well as the Marengo Community History of 2009.)