The last leaf has fallen and Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means holiday season is here.
Athens annual Tree Lighting Celebration is finally here. This year, there will be many activities to help keep spirits bright, including free horse drawn wagon rides, a gingerbread house competition and of course the big man in the red coat.
Unlike the previous years, Santa Claus will not be outside this year, said Joni Hodgson, a helping hand getting ready for Santa.
“It’s so cold outside and the kids and the parents have to stand in line,” Hodgson said. “And this is a great opportunity having him inside and have everybody in from the cold and it’s just real welcoming.”
Visits with Santa will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. at 5 N. Court St., the plaza that houses FedEx and other businesses.
Santa is not the only one that will be extra bright and cheery, as there will be a lighting contest for residential and commercial contestants in which winners will receive cash prizes.
“It provides a small town experience,” said John Wharton, a coordinator of the event and owner of Ohio Realty. “Little kids will be able to look back at their experience here and remember sitting on Santa’s lap.”
Wharton also explained that canned food collected during this event is donated to the Athens County Food Pantry.
“The Athena will be having free movies like Home Alone, The Muppets Christmas Carol and Elf,” Wharton added.
Hodgson said the decorations uptown are particularly beautiful this year and would be hard to miss.
“Les Cornwell really brought Christmas back uptown,” Hodgson said.
Cornwell is the man responsible for the holiday decorations you see around town.
“About three years ago in early December I was driving downtown and I was kind of discouraged and depressed the students were all gone and it kind of looked like a ghost town,” Cornwell said. “There were no Christmas lights that I could see so I decided to buy an old telephone truck with lift on it, and I cleaned out Wal-Mart’s Christmas tree decorations … if you want something done you do it yourself, but I really enjoy doing this.”
ag836912@ohiou.edu
@annachristine38
If You Go:
What: Christmas Tree Lighting
When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Where: Athens Municipal Court, 8 E. Washington St.
Admission: Free
