Santa Claus and two of his elves arrived at the Sundre ballpark on Dec. 6 despite the – 30 degree Celsius weather conditions.
However, he did not arrive by helicopter. He arrived with members of the Sundre Fire Department in a fire truck. His reindeer stayed at the North Pole.
The annual Sundown in Sundre event, put on by the Sundre & District Chamber of Commerce, was nearly postponed due to the freezing temperatures.
The event still went on despite the weather. However, the horse-drawn wagon rides around town were cancelled for the second consecutive year.
“We had a few calls from people asking if we could postpone it for a week, but I think it was too late,” said Marty Mennear, president of the chamber.
“So we planned to go forward with it.”
He was happy with the decision to go forward with the event and he was happy with the turnout.
“Surprisingly it seems like it looks as good as last year or better,” he said. “It's good to see that people are getting out anyway.”
The Elks Hall was packed with people for the Christmas Bazaar, where tables were lined up with homemade goodies and crafts for sale.
Children had their faces painted and their photos taken with Santa and his elves, Jingle Bells and Candy Cane.
People lined up to pack Styrofoam boxes full of cookies at the Sundre museum's third annual cookie walk.
Vendors had goods on display at the Sundre Municipal Library.
There was a festival of wreaths located beside Pro H20. Chili on a bun was served at Country Road RV.
As well, various local businesses put on sales for the day, including Advanced Telecom, Bargain Browzer, Country Road RV, Kodiak BBQ, Little Country Cappuccino, OutWest Truck & Car Wash, Pharmasave and Studio 104.
Other participating businesses included Pharmachoice, Home Hardware, the library, the museum, Sobeys, Tranquility Day Spa, Trendies and V&S Department Store.
There was a customer appreciation draw where shoppers could enter at each of the participating businesses for a chance to win one of three prizes. The grand prize was $1,000 for a local shopping spree.
"We had a few calls from people asking if we could postpone it for a week, but I think it was too late."Marty Mennearchamber president
