(PHOTOS BY RICH HARDING, STAFF)
By: Rebecca Miller
The day was crisp and cold for the November 20, 2021 events that were a part of the Olde Tyme Holiday Gathering in Montpelier, Ohio. No snow was on the scene but the hundreds who turned out for the day were bundled up in comfortable warm clothing.
The options from 10 a.m. all the way until bedtime (for children) were varied and delightful. Children were welcomed into the Montpelier Library with a story set up outside to enjoy reading a book with their families before entering the warm building.
In the back room children got to play Christmas Bingo, win a delicious cup of frozen juice to eat, accept two craft kits – one for frosting fresh sugar cookies and one to make a tree ornament, and enjoy a table filled with fun coloring pages.
Downtown stores were open with specials and Christmas decor to stir the hearts. At Kommon Kravings the first 100 hot chocolate were paid for by Premier Bank.
Cookies on Demand had a steady flow of lunch customers for a few hours with delicious food and drinks and a peaceful atmosphere.
Montpelier Trackside Modelers was a pleasant step back in time for anyone who went in to enjoy seeing and hearing the sounds of model trains chugging around the endless tracks that are set up there.
The Craft Show held at the school was huge! Hundreds of vendors filled the halls and larger spaces with everything you can imagine and terrific prices for Christmas shoppers.
Fudge, earrings, sports items, homemade hats and scarves, plaques, snowmen of every sort, homemade soaps and scrubs, baked goods and keychains are only a small list of all that was available.
For anyone who thought about going and did not do so, be sure to hit this creative opportunity next year! It is always held the weekend before Thanksgiving, so plan on it.
The evening held more family fun with a Christmas Light Parade on Main St. At 6 p.m. The streets were lined with bundled up folks, sipping hot chocolate and enjoying delicious foods that were prepared and shared for a donation.
Of Course Santa arrived on the first conveyance which was a horse drawn wagon driven by Barb Watson. Tom and Barb Watson from Eagle Creek Farm have been participating in the parade for as long as they can remember and Parade Emcee Bill Priest announced that they won the best decorated horse award this year.
There were 21 entries in the Parade this year with horses dancing and prancing, four wheelers buzzing along chased by elves and moms, classic tractors completely covered in lights, and business floats delighting the viewers.
Candy flying through the air toward the crowds lining the street thrilled the children who dashed out to gather it. The Lighting of the Tree Ceremony took place immediately following the parade and as families drove out of town, all the lights on the poles, as well as many of the homes, were all lit up for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Santa went to his little house to greet a long line of children and many enjoyed the Polar Express Experience which was shown for three separate groups during the evening.
A gentleman, who looked surprisingly like the conductor in the movie, greeted the children and called, “All Aboard” as they entered the sanctuary of The House of Prayer, followed a train track on the floor to their seats.
The groups were treated to an excellent reading of the book The Polar Express while the pages were turned up on the wall. The room was silent as children and adults alike enjoyed “story time” before going home to get tucked in for the night.
All in all it was a wonderfully festive and enjoyable day!
Rebecca can be reached at rebecca@thevillagereporter.com
