Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief
‘Twas the week before finals, and the town of Monmouth was ready to make spirits bright. As a way to celebrate Small Business Saturday as well as kick of the holidays, the Making Spirits Bright committee held their first annual event on Saturday, Nov. 24.
“We decided that Western Oregon University and the city are in a very good partnership, and we wanted to do more. (We) tied that in with Small Business Saturday…so we brought in this event this year to bring our community back in a little more,” said Chuck Thurman, one of the planners of the event and a member of the Making Spirits Bright Committee.
The committee chair who was in charge of putting the entire event together was Susan Fuller, who participated in several of the games and made the event an enjoyable one for all involved.
The event itself was held in Main Street Park, and it incorporated several smaller events, such as a Central High School’s Mainstreet Singers performance, games like bingo and limbo, a kids craft corner held at MaMere’s carriage house and a conclusion to the night which was the lighting of Santa’s Workshop and the Gingerbread Village.
The events didn’t stay within the boundaries of Main Street Park, however. Those in attendance were invited to take part in a Polar Express Passport activity. The objective was to visit each of the small businesses that had been listed on their passport, get a stamp at each, bring it back and be entered into the drawing. Walking down Main Street, participants made stops at businesses including Yeasty Beasty, Fine Pickens, Petals and Vines, Windermere Real Estate and much more. There were several prize packages available to those who filled their passport, each comprised of a collection of donations from the small businesses who made this event possible.
Several smaller businesses took part in the event as well, with small booths set up throughout the park, by selling bags, some baked goods, beverages and more. With a steady flow of attendance, the event proved to be a success for its kick-off year.
Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Caity Healy
