Small town Christmas

Wind-chill is below zero ... the star's lit on top of the feed mill ... Santa's reindeer and 4-H Club llamas have arrived ... a live nativity scene is set up in the horse & buggy parking shed ... burn barrels full of sawmill scrap are blazing ... it's time for the town Christmas festival!

The kids' choir including DS1 entertained at our hometown Christmas festival following a six-block parade from teh library to the depot plaza ... er, parking lot.

We had not gone before since this is DS1's first year in the choir, so we didn't know what to expect.

First, the mayor (in a Victorian top hat and tail coat) welcomed everyone and read the Christmas story, including " ... and they all paused for the west-bound freight ..." which roared by about 45 miles an hour, before continuing with the shepherds deciding to go into Bethlehem.

Then the city council (all in Victorian costume) lit the town Christmas tree. It's a 30-foot live spruce in front of the depot. It had two strings of lights, large bulbs and small. Everyone ooo-ed and ah-ed all the same.

The kids took the stage in the retired mobile grandstand stage from teh county fair. The fairgrounds got a bigger, better one some years ago and this one was handed down to our hometown.

But as the boys and girls bounced up and down the sound system started to fade. It could have been age, or cold weather, or kids jiggling stuff loose. DS1 said later that when the next freight train went by the stage shook the whole time.

Anyway, the kids had to finish their favorite song with no accompaniment and no microphones. Teacher belted out the accompaniment and they all carried on and finished the song. We would have given them a standing O but we were all standing anyway.

Next year we hope to go a little earlier, see more of the sights and if the weather's better will bring the rest of the troop. It's not to be missed!