Before anyone says bah humbug about the changes, Christmas on Liberty organizers are asking everyone to share in their excitement that the event will still be able to take place this year.
“This year has been a sad one for many,” says DOOR (Downtown Organization of Retailers) co-chair Lindsey Keller. “We’ve dealt with several months of a pandemic, quarantining, school shutdowns. The list goes on and on. To top it off, events that bring joy and could cheer folks up have been canceled. We did not want to be added to that list!”
“So yes, she says, “we are definitely having Christmas on Liberty, but things will look quite different this year.”
Keller suggests thinking of the event as a Christmas festival, focusing on the various vendors on sight and getting in some Christmas shopping with loved ones. Due to COVID-19, there will be no crafts for children, no train ride, cookies with Mrs. Claus or the Victorian stroll through downtown to kick things off. That chubby elf Santa will, however, make his famous cameo and be available for COVID friendly pictures.
“All merchants will have a maximum capacity that will be monitored by a First National Bank volunteer throughout the night,” Keller says, adding that DOOR encourages social distancing and face masks. “We have to make the best out of a difficult situation, and our choice was to either cancel Christmas on Liberty or to continue our tradition and embrace change. I think we are still going to have a wonderful time with our community and hope everyone will join us.”
Christmas on Liberty is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, from 5-9 p.m. with a rain/home football game date of Dec. 5. More than 20 vendors will be on site offering various goods, foods and unique gifts for the holidays.
See next week’s True Citizen for details on the annual Blanchard & Calhoun Real Estate gingerbread house contest, which will still be held.
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