Ten – nine – eight… was the countdown at the 2017 El Dorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Christmas Lighting Celebration. The City is now illuminated from the Park to Main Street and Hwy. 54 for the holiday season.
Saturday morning started with driving rains but ended with a beautiful, sunny afternoon and a clear brisk evening for the holiday festivities. Spectators were treated to a mile or more of parade entries including the Lakeland High School Band (returning after several years) and the evening brought hundreds of friends and neighbors together in the Park for the festivities kicking-off the holiday season. This year three Christmas festivities were rolled into one HUGE afternoon of celebration with the annual Holiday Expo, Christmas Parade and Lighting Celebration in the Park all together.
Chamber CEO Jackson Tough thanked several who made the event a success, “First, we always appreciate every group, organization, business and individual that participated in the events. The Christmas Committee did an exceptional job. Combining three events, each bringing hundreds of people together isn’t an easy task. The Christmas Committee comprised of Chairman Dr. Neil Linsenmayer (El Dorado Springs Family Chiropractic), Toshua McCormick (State Farm), Janna Dody (Sac Osage Electric Cooperative), Mark Parshall (Centurytel), Jami Carpenter-McCullick (Fugate Motors) and Peggy Snodgrass did a fantastic job. Special thanks to the El Dorado Springs Lions Club, Optimist Club, Eagles Auxiliary, the VFW and the Fraternal Order of Eagles for partnering with the Chamber of Commerce to offer parade participant prize money.”
Christmas Committee Chairman Dr. Neil Linsenmayer commented, “Woods Supermarket was a huge sponsor of the Lighting Celebration, providing free food at the event. We appreciate Senator Sandy Crawford and State Representative Warren Love for joining us to help serve the public hotdogs. The Agape Baptist Church and Fugate Motors supplied the Polar Express trolley and truck which offered rides around the illuminated Park. As usual, Generation 3 introduced Miss Merry Christmas and Little Mr. and Miss Santa contestants. We appreciate the Opera House Arts Council for showing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ after the Lighting Celebration.”
Tough said, “Vicki Hillsman (Brower Real Estate) and Dr. Theresa Christian (R-2 Schools) did a tremendous job organizing the 4th annual Holiday Expo. The Community Building was packed with vendors for hometown holiday shopping. City employees really worked with us on Park decoration. The Chamber contracted with the El Dorado Springs FFA Chapter to create two new holiday signs for the Park. This adds to the ‘Christmas in the Park’ sign Chamber members sponsored last year.”
Toshua McCormick and Janna Dody spearheaded the holiday signage effort. Several attendees said the new decorations really added to the Park’s festive appearance for the season.
Parade Participant Awards included: (There were an abundance of entries in the Business and Youth categories but unfortunately there was only one church entry in the “Thankful for the Holidays” Christmas Parade and only two in the Civic category. So there weren’t enough entries to offer three “places” in those categories. )
Grand Prize: Cedar County Memorial Hospital
Civic
1 – El Dorado Springs Optimist Club
2 – El Dorado Springs Lions Club
3 – N/A
Youth
1 – Boy Scouts
2 – Union Hall 4-H
3 – Lighthouse Children’s Theatre
Church
1 – Community Church
2 – N/A
3 – N/A
Business
1 – Cedar County Memorial Hospital (Grand Prize Winner)
2 – Skate Town
3 – Dederick Pre-K
Facebook Comments