There were two horse-drawn carriage rides on Main Street on Sunday afternoon. Stores stayed open from 3 to 5, and many of them offered free refreshments. Guests who were hungry could ingest enough to forget about dinner.
Santa Claus arrived early. No fire engine ride this year for the chubby philanthropist from the north! He started work at 3 p.m., greeting kids inside a white-as-snow rectangular tent on Bridge Street. Just a few feet away, youngsters of all ages toasted marshmallows, and a minstrel quartet sang a medley of holiday tunes.
That wasn’t the only music of the afternoon. Besides the bells that jingled as the horses plodded down the road, a DJ offered non-stop entertainment. Stationed near the flagpole in the center of Chadeayne Circle, he played until the tree was lit at 5:20 p.m. Randy and Mary Clark had the honor of throwing the switch.
Minstrels sang near Santa’s tent on Bridge Street. Later they entertained inside the fire house, where the Highland Engine Company served refreshments.