This was my first time seeing what the holidays have to offer in Kossuth County communities. I’ve always been amazed by holiday traditions in all small communities across the country. And Kossuth County didn’t let me down.
It started with the Bancroft Parade of Lights. It was interesting to see some of the floats and it was interesting to see the cars coming down Ramsey Street and backing their cars into parking spots to see the parade. They weren’t disappointed.
There may have been only a dozen or so vehicles, but it was a joy to see the young people smiling and jumping for joy when Santa came down the street.
Friday afternoon, I traveled to the Burt Library for a holiday open house. In the short time, I was there at least 50 people came through to eat and socialize. There were drawings throughout the event and it was interesting watching the winners browsing through a collection of items before making a final decision. One person took at least 10 minutes before picking up a flashlight. His comment was that “I can always use a flashlight.”
As Burt Library Director Nikki Brewer said, it is a wonderful event. “The whole community is out. This is very popular,” she said. “They love it. This is a holiday tradition that is going on for many years.”
Whittemore is a town I know of, but had never been to. Every time I travel to West Bend to do a story, I always drive into the outskirts of Whittemore and have to turn around because I forgot to make a left turn a mile earlier to get to West Bend.
“It’s a Wonderful Life in Whittemore” was enjoyable. In fact, I saw one person in both communities. Norma Kressin was going through a grand opening weekend of 400 Rustic Station. She said was enjoying what she called some neat stuff in the business. “It is the holidays and it gets you out into the community,” she said.
On Saturday, I stayed close to home and went to Santa’s Family Workshop in Algona. This event was all about the children.
Megan Miller’s son Brody, was putting a penguin tattoo on his arm. She said her and her children love it and her children get excited for it every year. “I like that they get to be creative and do crafts that they maybe wouldn’t be able to do,” she said. “Exposure to other kids is a big thing. They enjoy it all.”
Amy Welp’s son, McCain, was making ornaments with shredded paper. Amy feels Santa’s Family Workshop is a fun activity for youth. “He loves Christmas and doing all these crafts,” she said.
The Christmas holidays are an enjoyable time. Small communities make it just that more special because there is a major focus on the family core. And that is what the holidays are all about — the family.
