Hometown Holidays

I just love living in our small community.  We really are a family here.  Many of us stay right here and raise our families.  I honestly would not have it any other way!  Today was one of those reasons we just love it here.  It was our annual Hometown Holidays.  The community was a buzz of activity.  It was all started off by a parade.

I know all across the US the police are getting ridiculed about things.  We are very fortunate to have a very dedicated police department.  Police have one of the toughest jobs on earth.  Very rarely do they get the thanks they deserve.

Katrina and Hannah got a couple of kazoos today.  They were playing them trying to play some Christmas carols.  When along came this gentleman with his very used guitar.  He played right along with them.  Soon a crowd gathered round to hear the music while we waited on the parade.

My son Andrew (in the blue hat) and his friend riding with the FD in the parade.  I can never get a "good" face from him.  LOL

This has to be my favorite shot of the whole day!!  I love how the reflection captured our Main Street.

A lot of our school organizations participated in the parade.  Here is the marching band.  We also had the girls soccer team (who just happen to be our section champs), girl scouts, churches and more. 

I cannot forget the men who keep our streets cleared of snow. Our highway department is one of the best around.  Our highway men work so hard day and night throughout the winter months.

I can see my daughter Hannah dressing like this in years to come.  She just adores everything Christmas.

This truck speaks for itself.  Our fire department men and women are another dedicated group in our community.  I'm sure you get tired of hearing me say that but it really is true.

Here comes Santa!!  After the parade we all made our way down the street to the lighting of the town Christmas tree!  It was lit by our mayor and Santa!

A lot of the food items in town were free.  They were given out by the businesses in town.  We had baked potatoes, popcorn, coffee, soup, hot chocolate and so much more!  After the tree was lit we headed into the fire department for the vendor sale.

It was packed!  Which is such a great thing for the people of our community.  We all love to shop local so we keep the money within our community. 

The fire department explorer group was selling hot dogs and hamburgers to raise money for new gear.  So of course I had to get a picture of this good looking group.

Of course my son is the one without the smile! 

One of the local churches had a cookie decorating station.  Hannah could have stayed here all day.  She was so in her element.

After the fire hall visit we headed out to explore the shops.  One of my favorite shops is called The Woolery on Main Street.  It is here I will be taking rug hooking classes in January.  I will show you a few pictures now but will be doing a full blog post on this wonderful shop.

Can you see why this is my favorite place in town??  There are just shelves and shelves of yarn and wool.  Every kind imaginable. 

This is a bracelet made out of an old knitting needle.  I love it!  This shop has a little of everything.

Right in front of the window is fishing lures for sale.  So ladies bring your husbands! You can browse while he looks at the fishing lures.

I really cannot wait to learn how to rug hook!!  I have adored these for ages. 

Yarn isn't the only thing I can buy at this shop.  There are a wide variety of knitting needles available as well.  It is so nice having this here.  I don't have to go to the city to get what I need.  It is all right here.

Next we headed to my second favorite shop in town.  A place called Country Junktion.  It just happens to be next door to the yarn shop.

I really hope Santa brings me a pair of wool mittens.  Normally I cannot wear wool, but these are lined with fleece.  So warm and comfy.

The line for the cash register!  This was great!  This store has so much in it.  It is full of primitives, antiques and handmade crafts. 

This corner transports me back to my childhood. So many items remind me of being a kid.

Last weekend I purchased a penny rug kit.  I cannot wait to get started on it.  Once I get the hang of it I plan on purchasing a few of these patterns.

That snowman mitten is adorable!  I may have to go back and get this for our dining room.  The basket with fruit is another favorite.  This shop can (and is) a dangerous place at times.  LOL!

This doll was just like the one Laura Ingalls broke on an episode of Little House.  Laura and Mary were playing catch when Laura missed the ball.  She fell back onto her beloved doll breaking the head.  Hannah just stood there and admired the doll.

So if you are ever in this area these shops are a MUST!  Seek out your community local shops.  Support them so they remain in your town.  Do you have any community traditions like we do for Christmas?