Hayden, Riley, Hunter, and Hudson Rapp visit with Santa during the city of Englewood’s Holiday Open House.
Ron Nunnari | The Register-Herald
Conductor Roy Swanson and the Englewood Civic Band perform Christmas music in the council chambers during Englewood’s Holiday Open House.
Soprano Theresa Zugger belts out a Christmas song with support of the Englewood Civic Band.
Two local youngsters getting Christmas cookies from members of the Englewood Festival and Arts Commission.
ENGLEWOOD — This year’s annual Holiday Open House hosted at the Englewood Government Center attracted a huge crowd, due in large part to a new feature, the Englewood Holiday Storybook Trail organized by Englewood RISE.
Starting at 4 p.m., local residents could visit designated Englewood businesses to participate in various activities. Each business had an activity and a book to correspond with the activity.
Residents could start at any business along the trail in the W. National Road Historic Area, visit each stop or pick and choose which ones they would like to visit.
Participating businesses were easily identified by the inflated Christmas decorations outside their store to promote ‘Shop Small Saturday.’
Dinner could be purchased in the Extra Space Storage parking lot between 4 and 8 p.m. from food vendor trucks Tops Best Foods, Cinn-Wagon, and The Wild Banana. Crocs was also set up next to the food trucks.
Businesses participating in the Storybook Trail were Englewood Cinema (320 W. National, Suite 21), Sukha Inspired Yoga (320 W. National Rd, Suite 19), Miss Leslie’s School of Dance (320 W. National Rd.), Courtyard Lounge (320 W. National Rd.), The Play Café (320 W. National, Suite 9), M.L. Dunn Flooring (8 W. National), American Legion Randolph Post 707 (200 W. National), Rustic & Rooted (300 N. Main St.), Palette of Threads (7 N. Main St.), The Parlor & Nail Loft (7 W. National), Café 19 (19 w. National), Mike Hild Allstate (113 W. National), and Do It Best Hardware (115 W. National).
Residents gathered at the corner of National Road and Main Street at 5:45 p.m. to sing carols just prior to the lighting of Englewood’s large outdoor Christmas tree.
Participants could take a break from the Storybook Trail by stopping at the government center to hear holiday music performed by the Englewood Civic Band and solo vocalist Theresa Zugger, visit with Santa, and enjoy cookies provided by the Festival and Arts Commission.
The Storybook Trail event provided a steady stream of residents and their families coming to the government center.
Café 19 posted on Facebook, “It was so nice to see our city thriving today during the Englewood RISE Storybook Trail event! Every small business was packed and doing amazing! We got to see so many familiar faces and new ones as well and we are just so happy that we were a part of it! Thank you all for an amazing #shopsmallsaturday!”
Englewood RISE posted, “At the Englewood Holiday Storybook Trail, we aren’t just celebrating Christmas… we’re hoping to recognize all the holidays as well as offer activities to those who do not celebrate anything during this time of year. Stop by Sukha Inspired Yoga to get out all of your wiggles and practice some simple yoga poses. Learn about the holiday of Diwali. Make paper lanterns to celebrate Diwali’s Festival of Lights.”
The Play Café thanked the community for the support shown during the event in a Facebook post and went on to say, “It was such a beautiful turnout with the Holiday Storybook Trail put on by Englewood RISE. I haven’t seen this city so lit up and active ever! Next year’s event will be phenomenal! All of our small businesses would love to see some constructive criticism to help with planning future events.”
Reach Ron Nunnari by email: [email protected].
