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Santa Train coming through Fergus Falls
Published 11:26am Monday, December 10, 2012Christmas is just around the corner, and Fergus Falls will begin festivities this weekend for the first-ever Santa Saturday.
The downtown event will be a way for kids to have some holiday fun while parents can sneak in some Christmas shopping. It also will be a great way to support local businesses during the holiday season, said Brittany Nygaard, Fergus Falls Chamber of Commerce representative.
Otter Tail Valley Railroad to bring Santa to town on a train. Old St. Nick will roll into Fergus Falls at 4 p.m. after making stops in Barnesville and Rothsay. Santa will stop in each location long enough to visit and bring treats for each girl and boy on the “nice list.”
A Center for the Arts is participating in the event, and parents can drop their children off for a day of Christmas flicks in order to get away to do some downtown shopping. “Arthur Christmas” will be featured from 11:45 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. and “The Polar Express” will show from 1:50 to 3:30 p.m.
Horse drawn carriage rides will be offered from 2:30 to 4 p.m., and Don Pablo’s will host traditional style piñata breakings at 5 and 6 p.m.
While this will be a fun event for the kids, Santa Saturday is really all about supporting local businesses at Christmas time, Nygaard said.
“Supporting local businesses has always been a goal for the Chamber, but we’re focusing on it a lot more this year,” she said.
Victor Lundeen Company owner Buzz Lundeen said likes the idea of the Chamber of Commerce putting on a holiday event that will promote downtown shopping.
“We’re happy the Chamber is taking a hold of shopping locally downtown, and it will be a nice promotion for the community,” he said.
Aside from helping out retailers, this event should also be a boost for local restaurants as Santa Saturday visitors will likely stop for a bite to eat downtown, Nygaard said.
