Friday morning’s gingerbread man decorating was a big hit as were Christmasfest’s first “sleigh”/carriage rides, Breakfast with Santa and the WRBM dance recital on Saturday.
Parade of Light entries were down from previous years, however, and Saturday evening’s benefit chili dinner drew just a few families to what has been a well-attended community meal in the past.
In contrast to last year’s turnout of roughly a dozen kids, 84 children showed up at the recreation center Friday morning for gingerbread man decorating. The WRBM staff knew that with 50 or more children already planning to come, they’d better count on extras.
“We opened a box (of gingerbread) we already had, and it was just enough,” WRBM recreation and aquatics director Camilla Kennedy said. “We didn’t have to turn any kiddos away.”
Another top pick this Christmasfest were the carriage rides offered by Absolute Prestige Limousine Service out of Loma. During the two-hour event, approximately 140 people waited at the White River Drive-In for their turn in the light-bedecked carriage with Percheron draft horses Minnie and Molly and drivers Jim Hutton and Shane Radcliff.
Organizers also crowned Christmasfest’s 2014 royalty, Tommy and Dorothy Collins, on Friday evening.
Not many folks came to shop at the few businesses open late Friday night, which could prompt carriage rides to be moved farther downtown next year, Kennedy said.
Saturday morning’s Breakfast With Santa drew approximately 90 children and their families for a hot breakfast, during which cooks Mike Cushman and Jeff Rector dished up more than 250 eggs. The visit was shorter than in past years, but kids still enjoyed a chat and photo with Santa before heading home with treat bags.
Approximately 25 children aged birth through five and their families showed up for the Snowflake Baby contest on Saturday afternoon. Children’s attire and costumes ran the gamut from 5-year-old Deacon Jones in his dad’s suit accompanying little sister Bronlyn in her Sunday best to 5-year-old Brooke Davis dressed up as Snoopy’s doghouse.
Snowflake winners included Jace Lambros (0 to 18 month boys); Victoria Miner (0 to 18 month girls); Jeremiah Floyd (19 months to 3-year-old boys); Kenna Ahrens (19 months to 3-year-old girls); Titus Friedrich (4- to 5-year-old boys); and Ayva Medina (4- to 5-year-old girls).
As usual, Saturday’s WRBM dance recital drew a full house to the Rangely Junior/Senior High School auditorium as families and supporters showed up to watch 37 children present a mix of ballet, modern dance and jazz. Dixie Rhea and TyLee Fielder performed this year’s solos.
“Things went awesome this year,” WRBM dance director Natalie Kurrasch said. “Some of the girls have been with me so long that I don’t need to dance with them anymore; I can just give them cues. I think people can see what’s working, so the program keeps getting bigger every year.”
Other weekend events didn’t fare as well. Saturday evening’s benefit chili dinner was the most poorly attended Kennedy has seen during her tenure organizing Christmasfest. She said she was unsure why the event didn’t draw more people transitioning between the Parade of Lights and the dance recital.
Parade of Lights entries were also down from past years, with only a handful of floats traveling down Main Street on Saturday night (top honors went to FFA (first); Norm Hall’s train (second); and Rangely High School cheerleaders (third). The route was packed with observers, however, and while some were disappointed with the length of the show, others pointed out the high quality of floats and need for locals to get more involved.
“We didn’t have the Parade of Lights, but we had rodeo parades and homecoming parades,” said Shirley Sinclair, who owned Rangely’s Beauty Bar for close to three decades. “I participated in every parade they had until I got out of (owning a business) …The rec center does what it can. But you can’t get something for nothing. It’s not going to be great if you don’t have enough participation to make it great.”
Kennedy said she and other organizers plan to advertise more next year to draw more float entries to the Parade of Lights, both locally and from surrounding towns.
Rangely Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored shopping specials and a new punchcard program offered during the week drew some interest last week, chamber director Kristin Steele said. As of Monday afternoon, just before the program’s end, eight people had turned in punchcards.
“For the first year, I think it went well,” she said. “Eight people who had to visit the chamber office and the businesses is a win. I think it will continue to grow as years go on and people see there is a benefit to coming in.”
Vendor numbers Saturday afternoon in the RJSHS upper commons were comparable to past years with seven booths; and the gingerbread man contest entries went up slightly, around a dozen.
Each contestant took an individual prize in this event, while residential winners of the Light Up Rangely contest were awarded in three categories: Over the Top (first place: Amy and Bob Ganser; second place: Dean and Kendra Allen; third place: Jeremy and Nicole Fielder); Themed (first: Mike and Alicia Cushman; second: Matt and Beth Scoggins; third: Bernie and Leslie Rice); and Simple but Clean (first: Ian and Kathy Kottenstette; second: Kurt and Vicki Douglas; third: Lyle and Diane Peterson). Business Light Up winners were the Rangely Post Office (first); Sweetbriar (second); and JJ’s Tire and Automotive (third).
Finally, Peanuts Scavenger Hunt winners (first through fifth place) were Billie Williams, Linda Farney, Alyssa Rouse, the Hadley family and Patti Tipton. Contest winners throughout Christmasfest received toy and cash prizes or coupons discounting recreation center activity fees.
Kennedy said the change of venue to the junior-high school this year made sense in terms of flow from event to event, as did moving Breakfast With Santa to the recreation center.
Next year, she said, organizers will look at changes to some events while sticking with things they’ve learned work.
The WRBM welcomes feedback on this year’s events and what community members want to see in the future. To offer your comments or suggestions, contact Kennedy at 675-8211.
