Christmas Wonderland lights up Chicora Municipal Park
CHICORA — The misty rain and 40 degree weather did not stop residents of Chicora from celebrating a Christmas wonderland at Chicora Municipal Park on Saturday, Nov. 23.
The Chicora Christmas Wonderland began at 4 p.m., following the parade in the morning. Attendees were able to take in the Christmas lights and decorations around Municipal Park along with other entertainment.
Children got to take pictures with Santa, and a trail of candy canes near the train tracks along the park’s edge led to horse carriage rides taking families around the block.
Food trucks offered a range of options, such as barbecue, sandwiches and ice cream, as well as coffee and hot cocoa. Face painters, caricature artists and a clown also were there to entertain, while live music included local artists Cody Stroup and Krissy Jo playing folk, country and Christmas music.
Dan Weidenhoff and Catie Rattigan have been planning the event since March, and have held monthly meetings to ensure everything was on track for an eventful evening. They said the previous organizers were no longer going to hold the event, so they took over.
Rattington said she didn’t want the event to stop, so they stepped up to fill in for the previous committee. They both said it’s nice to do something that everyone can look forward to and celebrate as a town.
“We moved in last year. I didn’t want it to end on my first year when we moved in, so I took it over, and I’ve been really excited to take it on,” Weidenhoff said.
The horse carriage garnered excitement from children who ran up the candy cane path to wait their turn in line. Sarah Kube, who was there with her son Logan, appreciated the range of activities available, while Logan was able to pet the horses and ride in a carriage for the first time.
“I think it’s a really cool thing. This is our first year coming to it, and I wanted to come to show him and enjoy it, and he’s having fun,” Kube said.
Stroup was not surprised by the amount of community members who showed up to celebrate the holidays together.
“Chicora is a really great community, and everybody comes out, rain or shine,” Stroup said. “They love to come to everything like this, whether it’s a Christmas festival or the Chicora gun raffle, it doesn’t matter what the weather’s looking like, they’re gonna come out.”
Widenhoff noted the interest and excitement people have had over the Christmas Wonderland event. Before Nov. 23, the event’s Facebook page recieved more than 660 responses of people interested.
“It’s such a nice event,” LeAnn Rumbaugh, another attendee, remarked while leaving the horse and carriage with her two daughters. “It’s great. I’m looking forward to coming back next year.”
Following much of the live music, Weidenhoff and Rattigan invited attendees over to the edge of the park to conduct the Chicora Christmas tree lightup. The crowd applauded the tree’s colors lighting up the park just after sundown.
“It means a lot. It shows that the community is out here to support each other. They’re out here and making it a family event, that’s what I was trying to do. It’s something where the family can come together and celebrate and have a good time,” Weidenhoff said.
