by Dennis Dalman
Santa Claus is coming to town, and Mrs. Claus will be right by his side from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 during the 14th annual JoeTown WinterWalk Festival.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will greet kiddies of all ages at Bello Cucina in downtown St. Joseph.
The WinterWalk will include many Christmas-themed activities, all of which are free to enjoy. The following are some of the festive features, most of which will last the four-hour period from 4-8 p.m.
There will be the lighting of a tall Christmas tree at 7 p.m. on the front lawn of the Catholic church. Members of the St. John’s Prep Choir will sing carols on the downtown streets, including the time-honored song “Oh Christmas Tree” during the tree-lighting ceremony.
Throughout the evening, participants can take part in luminary walks in the downtown area, walking past glowing luminary lights lining the sidewalks.
There will be Christmas carolers and other live musical performances at many businesses from 6-9 p.m. They include Tom Kuhn and Dave Cofell who will perform songs at the Bad Habit Brewing Company, Aksel Krafnik entertaining at Krewe restaurant and Chase Grant playing mic at Obbink Distillery. A social get-together will also take place from 8-10 p.m. at Obbink’s.
There will be a tent set up along Minnesota Street where walkers can stop for free homemade eggnog and spiced hot-chocolate drinks provided free by Obbink’s.
A display of “Big Rigs” will be set up by Brenny Transportation of St. Joseph at the corner of Minnesota Street and College Avenue.
For kids, a “Crafting with Santa’s Elves” session will be provided by W/R Littles boutique, along with a “Letters to Santa” mailbox.
Children will be welcomed to a “puppy-petting” event with Golden Hill Doodles at the Sisters & Co. Consignment Boutique.
Strollers might want to stop at the St. Joseph Meat Market to sample seasonal sausage made right in St. Joseph by the meat-market employees who have for many years won top state and national awards for their meats, especially their sausages.
At the Heritage Hall (eastern addition of the Catholic church) and at St. Benedict Monastery’s Art and Heritage Place, a harp ensemble will perform.
A holiday crafts event and a hot turkey meal will be available, also at the Heritage Hall next to the church.
A “Jaycees Giving Trees” event will be hosted at both Uptown Styles and at Bad Habit Brewing Company.
All of the activities and hard work that make up JoeTown WinterWalk are made possible by teams of many volunteers led by WinterWalk team members Marshall Herron, Raj Chaphalkar, Katie Ridders and Maddie Bautch. The revenues that make WinterWalk possible are derived solely through sponsorships. All of the finest aspects of St. Joseph connect and interact seamlessly to make the festival an annual success.
The purpose of WinterWalk is to celebrate the holiday season with social togetherness and to bring together the interconnected qualities of St. Joseph: its businesses, its artists and musicians and its progressive inclusivity.
At a previous JoeTown Winter Walk, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus prepared to greet visitors, chatting with some of the event’s volunteers just before the event started.
