Main Street News: December 5th

2016 Miracle on Front Street saw plenty of Christmas Spirit! The fun of having the children in grades K-2 and their teachers decorate the tree started the festivities off in a special way. Be sure to take a few minutes to look at all the animal friendly decorations and the pretty tree when you can. The Tree Lighting, Breakfast with Santa, and Holiday Happenings rounded out the events last week.

We had a lot of people who helped us make last week’s events a success, so please bear with me! The Promotions Committee is a dedicated group that has been planning all the holiday events for the last few months.  I would like to thank the committee of Lindsay Bontjes, Michelle Field, Brooke Fradet, Janet Rasmussen, Katie Van Den Einde, Kallie Frost, Carol Van Brocklin and Cindy Zander for their dedication to all the special Main Street events that they arrange each year. A BIG thank you to the K-2 teachers, Barnesville Bus Company, and Darin Allmaras and Elliot Goheen for all their effort in getting the tree decorating done again this year. Another HUGE thank you goes out to the Barnesville Public Works team for hanging the greens from Designs by Becky once again this year. I also want to thank Becky Eggiman for her help hanging the greens on the gazebo!

We were able to light the tree at Friendship Park on a beautiful night with caroling, wagon rides and treats shared by all who attended. The 6^th grade choir performed a few carols to put us in the Christmas spirit. A big thank you goes to Stoneridge Software for providing cider and hot chocolate and the Barnesville Grocery for providing the cookies. We also can’t forget to thank Polly Thorsness who provided wagon rides and Mrs. Gylland and her kids for the wonderful singing! We appreciate their generosity in sharing their holiday cheer! I also can’t forget to thank Guy Swenson for all of his hard work making such an awesome switch to light the tree. It was so nice to have our Miss Barnesville Alexis Peterson, 1^st Runner-Up Anna Smith and Princess Blue Eagle there to light the tree as well!

We also need to thank Santa for taking time out of his very busy schedule to visit with the children at St. John’s Lutheran Church last Saturday. His long-awaited arrival was a hit for young and old alike. The children certainly gave him a long list to take back to his workshop. Seeing the looks on the children’s faces was indeed priceless and reminds us of the joys of being a child. The children colored pictures and some even wrote him letters that day. Several others helped to make the Saturday morning events happen. The Thursday Nite Lions provided and served the breakfast, everyone at the St. John’s Lutheran Church were such considerate hosts and Wanda Lokhorst Photography took the photos with Santa. There was a lot going on in just a few hours. But a great deal of fun too!

An opportunity to shop for a few gifts was made possible at the Holiday Happenings. We had a few home-based businesses help us kick off the local holiday shopping. Remember to think of all our local businesses – store front and home based when shopping this holiday season. If you have need to find a business remember, to check the Business Directory on the city’s website at www.barnesvillemn.com.  Also, take a look at the local Gift Buying Guide in today’s paper for more shopping ideas!  And don’t forget to register for a turkey at many Main Street member businesses. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky winners!