FREDERICKTOWN — The Fredericktown Christmas Walk, a tradition built around a sense of community and reaching out to those in need at the holidays, brought out a large crowd Sunday afternoon.
Most of the crowd gathered indoors to enjoy activities at the Masonic Lodge, the Senior Citizen’s Center and the former coffee shop on North Main Street.
The charity auction was bigger than ever this year, with handmade items, collectibles, antiques, gift baskets and heirloom baked goods. Auctioneers Larry Moore and Herschel Thomas kept the auction moving for over two hours as people walked away with treasures for their home and good things to eat.
The members of the Thrall Masonic Lodge kept people fed, while Marcy Rinehart and Chris Johnson from WNZR featured Christmas Karaoke and balloon artists made balloon animals for children.
At Fredericktown First Baptist Church, Carolyn Fergus and a team of volunteers helped young people make handmade ornaments to take home. Three-year-old Blade Rittenhouse enjoyed making a candy cane with his mom, Stephanie. Blade said he was enjoying the day with his mom.
At the former coffee house on North Main Street, the 2008 pewter Christmas ornament featuring the Webb C. Ball Clock on the square, was flying out the door. Several collectors who buy the ornaments each year also sought this year’s, which is the seventh in a series.
A poinsettia sale was new to the walk this year. Many walkers left the coffee house with a plant in one hand and one of the many crafts on display in the other.
Throughout all of the stops along the walk, red buckets were handy for walkers to drop in donations. Benefits from the auction, ornament sales and poinsettia sales all benefit Interchurch Social Services and The Salvation Army in Fredericktown.
Walk co-chairman Paul Linhares said the act of giving keeps many of the participants in the event coming back each year.
“There’s a lot of groups that come back every year,” he said. “Everybody here comes together. The charity aspect is what makes this thing go.”
Linhares said the money raised during the walk totaled $4,260. Over $3,000 of that total was raised by the charity auction. Linhares said more money will be added to the total before Christmas, as more ornaments ant poinsettias are sold.
Many familiar features of the walk return each year, such as the horse-drawn wagon rides provided this year by Dean Shira’s Percherons, and the ice sculptures, which always draw crowds.
Greg B. Utauski of Rock On Ice in Columbus explained that seven ready-made sculptures were set up on the square this year, and three block sculptures were completed during the walk.
This year, collegiate teams completed the three block sculptures under the guidance of Utauski and Chef Alford, who is in the Ice Sculpting Hall of Fame, according to Utauski.
“He taught me, so I’m second generation and these guys are third generation,” he said of the college students from the University of Akron and Columbus Culinary Institute at Bradford.
The walk this year included new attractions as well. Chainsaw artist Sarah Nicol was demonstrating her craft, carving sculptures into logs of cottonwood.
The Fredericktown Fire Department served its award-winning chili, cooked over an open fire on the square. Walkers could stop in out of the cold in the fire department tent and eat chili and cornbread. Sale of the chili dinners will benefit the department’s toy drive for children in need this Christmas.
Christmas carols played by the New Life Community Church bell choir could be heard from the gazebo, while children and adults stopped on the square to enjoy the animals at Sophia’s Petting Zoo brought by Sophia Oster and her family.
Rose the llama obligingly offered her soft face for a friendly rub, and Elvis the Nigerian dwarf goat charmed the crowds.
Seven-year-old Elijah Dean said the petting zoo was his favorite part of the Christmas Walk, which he was enjoying for the first time this year with his parents and older sister, Ella.
“The chicken was just chillin’ on the sheep,” Elijah said excitedly about the silky bantam named Fluffy who enjoyed resting on the back of Holly, the very pregnant sheep.
Ella said she enjoyed singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” at the Christmas Karaoke stop, and her dad sang a song as well. The family took home a prize for its singing efforts.
Ella’s dad, James, said his favorite part of the walk was the fire department’s chili. Ella’s mom, Kathy, said the family recently moved to Fredericktown and was having a great time enjoying the walk.
“It’s just awesome,” she said.
