Posted: 10/31/06
Winter Wonderland celebration planned for December
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
Exactly one year ago, this newspaper carried a front page story with the headline ìCity may lose Founders Days.î
Today, the newspaper is happy to report that planning for a city celebration in December is well underway, thanks to a group of volunteers who took over for the past Founders Day committee that had put in years of work on the summer and winter celebration, in addition to many events throughout the year.
The present committee includes Noel Brenza, Lisa Ely, Amber Foster, Arien OíHeron, Sandy Welscher, Allison Traff, Cindy Colleran, Trina Scanlan and Betsy Pieper.
Early in its formation, the group decided to forego the summer celebration and concentrate on the Christmas parade. This yearís theme is ìWinter Wonderland,î and events will be closely linked with the balloon rally that is also taking place the first weekend of December.
Last week, the group requested $2,000 from the city council to decorate the street lights down Main Street from the highway in the hopes of drawing visitors to the downtown area. The Chamber of Commerce is asking local businesses to make sure their outdoor Christmas lights are working and to replace any lights that are burned out.
The pageant for the Little Miss and Miss Caledonia will be at Caledonia Middle/High School on November 18 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
A wine tasting event and silent auction on November 26 at the Four Seasons Community Center will benefit the balloon rally.
The Christmas parade on December 1 will be led by real reindeer, and children will be able to visit the reindeer on Saturday at the park behind the city auditorium. The Rotary will offer their traditional soup supper that evening as well.
A sing-along will again follow the parade in the auditorium, and a DJ will provide music following the sing-along.
Local businesses will sponsor trees that will be decorated by local students and organizations for a ìFestival of Trees.î Those trees will also be lit and add to the festive atmosphere. Caledonia Haulers is sponsoring the Christmas trees.
The annual Lionsí Breakfast with Santa, usually the second weekend of December, will be held on December 2 to coincide with the Winter Wonderland event. Children may have their photo taken with Santa.
There will be a ìBeer Lodgeî in the basement of the auditorium Friday and Saturday, and there are also plans to have a food tent with offerings such as hot cider, roasted nuts and hot chocolate.
A euchre tournament and Scrabble tournament are planned for Saturday as well. In the evening, there are plans for a dance featuring Simon Sezz, also at the auditorium.
A champagne brunch is being planned for Sunday, December 3.
A new twist this year is that buttons will be sold, and will be good for discounts at participating merchants the weekend of the celebration.
The committee is also working on having indoor seating arranged for the elderly to view the parade.
The Founders Day committee is also responsible for having the street lamp posts decorated with corn stalks this fall. Members of the committee put up the stalks, which were donated by Kevin McCormick.
Please watch the newspaper for more details on the Winter Wonderland celebration.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com