Christmas Walk Waves Its Wondrous Wand

Christmas Walk Waves Its Wondrous Wand
By N3 Feature Framers
Photos By Lil DeLaat and Lesly DeLaat

The Christmas Walk!

Horses hauling wagons filled with folks up and down the street, carolers of all ages crooning Christmas tunes, kids running about the streets and sidewalks, and all the chestnut roasting, Santa sitting, hot chocolate sipping, seasonal merriment one can possibly pack into one evening.
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The Newaygo High School Jazz Band kicked off the opening ceremonies with some lively covers of favored carols and...

...Santa arrived to the cheers of the Brooks Park crowd.

Larry Lethorn was named as this year’s Honorary Chair of the event and the lighting of the Tree of Hope decorated earlier in the week by kids from the elementary schools, drew oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Then it was strolling time.

With a bit of a nip in the air the town cranked up some serious good cheer  as folks mingled about visiting vendors, taking in the creative décor of the local shops and exchanging pleasantries with friends and neighbors they encountered along the way.

Far from being a Newaygo event this River Country Chamber extravaganza draws from all over the county and beyond whether to take part in the frolicking or help out at the various stations requiring some elfish assistance.

There is something so….so….I don’t know…. just so right, I guess, about this celebration.

The Christmas Walk makes folks feel good and generates a lot of positive sentiment about being part of this wonderfully extended community where we coexist.  In a time when we feel more divided than ever as a country it just takes a little camaraderie-driven coalescing to put it all in perspective….even if only for a few festive Friday evening hours.

Kudos to the Chamber folks who have nicely nurtured this gathering of gleeful gaiety into its present incarnation, the shop owners who bring out their seasonal best for the occasion, the dozens of volunteers who breathe life into this event and, of course, the shoppers strollers, sing-alongers, and Santa sitters who came out on a chilly December evening to share in some mirthful merry-making.