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Get into the holiday spirit at Christmas in Conrad

Full day of activities planned

CONRAD — Getting into the holiday spirit is as easy as saying, “I Believe!”

At least it is this year on Saturday in Conrad as the local Chamber-Main Street invites all area residents to attend its annual Christmas in Conrad event.

The event actually begins on Friday with the opening of the annual Festival of Trees in the Alexander Meeting Room of the Conrad Public Library. Theme for the tree festival is “Miracle, Magic and Mystery of Christmas.” Hours for public viewing will be Friday from 2-6 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 12-2 p.m.

The full day of Saturday activities begins at 8 a.m. with the annual Fire Department’s pancake breakfast. This year the annual event will be at a new location — the new fire station on the east edge of Conrad on Hartwig Drive from 8-11 a.m. An open house of the new facility hosted by the volunteer department will also take place during this time, and the Boy Scout Troop 107 will be selling swags and wreaths at the same location.

Oakview Nursing Home will host a Christmas bazar from 9 a.m. to noon, and will offer soup to go from 10:30 to noon. Hen and Chicks, Conrad Hardware and classic cuts will host open houses throughout the day.

From 4-7 p.m. vendors will show their wares in the Conrad Public Library and crafts will also be available to be made by the kids in the library sponsored by the library staff from 4-5:30 p.m.

The bulk of the activities begin at 5 p.m. and continue through 7:30 on downtown’s Main Street.

The jolly old man from the North Pole and Mrs. Claus will arrive by horse drawn trolley at 5:05 p.m. and proceed to the north end of Main Street. At 5:10 p.m., Santa will give the countdown to light the community tree and the entire Dorothy King Park. He then will greet kids of all ages at the Conrad Public Library from 5:30 -7:30 p.m.

The Conrad American Legion Auxiliary unit 681 will serve evening lunch at the legion hall from 5:30-7:30 p.m., consisting of beef burgers, hot dogs, chips and jello.

At 5:30 p.m., stick around in front of Dorothy King Park for the fourth annual Conrad Snowball drop. Merchants have donated prizes for hundreds of snowballs (ping pong balls) which will be thrown out to the crowd. Lucky persons may collect three balls each and take then to a designated location on Main Street until 7 p.m. to see what they have won.

A new and special event will take place at 6 p.m. at Dorothy King Park. A group of 16 talented musicians from the Union High School Vocal Department of LaPorte City, known as the Union Carolers, will present a 20-minute program of songs, while decked out in Dickens style clothing. This new activities is being sponsored by UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown.

Also between 5:30 and 7 p.m., stroll Conrad’s Main Street to discover “living windows, an activity making a re-appearance after several year’s absence from the event. GNB bank will feature letters to Santa and ice sculpturing; MidWestOne bank and Conrad Chiropractic will feature cookie decorating and games; Shear Bliss will allow kids to make reindeer food; while Hutch Screen Printing, Something to Share, and the Groom Room will all have open houses with specials and activities plus refreshments

Horse drawn trolley rides will begin following the snowball drop continuing until 7 p.m. and the Boy Scouts will have their warming pits on Main Street and serve “chestnuts roasted on an open fire” for the second consecutive year.

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