Jingle Bells & Summer Sales: A Christmas in August(?) Celebration

Saturday was a beautiful day for our (delayed) Christmas in July at The Woods Park & Pavilion, complete with Santa in his summer attire and festive Christmas tunes filling the air. While this year’s attendance was smaller—likely due to the weather-related reschedule—the event still sparkled with holiday cheer.

Kimberly Bryant, The Woods’ Operations Coordinator, once again orchestrated every last detail of the day, with patient and tireless assistance from her boyfriend, Bryant Riley. Special thanks go to Alex “Catface” Carder and Katy McGrath, who served up Kitty Town Coffee, popcorn, and Katy’s delicious baked goods (which she so graciously provides for our events). Alex brought nonstop energy and entertainment—complete with a Christmas cat shirt that was impossible to miss!

One of the day’s most exciting moments came with the raffle basket drawings. Our biggest prize, donated by The Palace Theatre, included four tickets to this year’s historic Christmas at The Palace matinee, along with an assortment of other goodies. Longtime supporter Paula F., who faithfully buys multiple raffle tickets at each of our craft shows, was the lucky winner—making the moment even sweeter.

We’re also grateful to the Cooke family for donating the Palace tickets, to all of our vendors for sharing their unique wares, and to everyone who made the day possible despite early technical challenges with our power box (which we eventually wrangled into cooperation).

Thanks to your support, we raised nearly $200 for the rescue—every dollar helping us care for animals in need. And with partly cloudy skies, comfortable temps, and plenty of community spirit, it was the perfect reminder that even smaller events can still be full of heart.

We can’t wait to see you back for our last—and biggest—craft show of the year, the Paws & Pumpkins Festival on Saturday, October 18. Mark your calendars now—this one is already shaping up to be our best yet!