Gainesville’s Wonders of Christmas Festival was bursting with small-town Christmas spirit
After the Jingle Bell Parade, Santa and Mrs. Claus, with a little help from Connelly Dunnerman and Teresa Weber O’Dell (wink, wink), visited with children in the gazebo. The kids seemed to love their visits with the North Pole duo. (More photos on the Ozark County Times Facebook page)
First place float The first place float award was given to Frontier Baptist Church in Pontiac with their entry of a trailer decorated with lighted Christmas trees and straw bales where children from the church sat dressed as angels, wise men and other Biblical Christmas figures.
Second place float The second place float award was given to Grace Baptist Church, which had a float that featured a large sign in a pickup bed that said, “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.” The truck was pulling a trailer that featured a large-scale gingerbread house, giant lollipops and other sweets-themed decor.
Third Place float The third place float award was given to the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association’s float which featured flags and patriotic decor, along with strings of Christmas lights. One member was sitting on a trike with other Combat Vet members riding on seats within the float. Two other members following the float riding motorcycles.
Best lighted vehicle - first place First place for best lighted vehicle was awarded to a side-by-side owned by Jeffrey Kypta, which featured bright Christmas lights, snowflake decorations on the wheels and an inflatable Grinch riding in the rear of the vehicle. Parade organizer Paula Rose said that Kypta said he’d entered the vehicle in the contest in honor of his mother, Annette Kypa, who died Dec. 2.
Best lighted vehicle - second place The second place award for the best lighted vehicle was given to the Lutie PTO, whose members decorated a pickup truck with Christmas lights as well as Minnie Mouse, Buddy the Elf and a Snowman riding as back seat passengers. Lutie students rode in the pickup bed, passing out candy.
Grand prize float The D.W. Hawkins Salute to the Spirit of Christmas Ho Ho Ho grand prize float award was given to The Hair Shop’s float entry of the kids’ barrel train, which offered free rides before the parade. The train was then decked out with black boxes on the barrel cars and other train decor and was entered into the parade float contest as The Polar Express.
Horse-drawn carriage rides Ed and Liz Willis of GE Carriages of Tecumseh offered horse-drawn carriage rides to families throughout the night at the Real Life Church booth. The rides were offered for $10 per ride. RLC pastor Brandon Tanksley said there wasn’t a moment from the time the carriage arrived until the end of the festival that there wasn’t someone taking a ride. Liz Willis said that they purchased their horse Carla from an Amish family in northern Missouri when she and Ed were living in Arizona. They transported the horse back there, where they operated their carriage business. Then, last month, the couple moved to Tecumseh and brought Carla with them back to horse’s home state. They are now operating the carriage business here. Ed said that Carla is a gentle, 14-year-old horse, and is currently the only horse they have to pull the carriage. He says sometimes she isn’t up to the task of pulling the hefty piece of equipment by herself up the steep Ozark County hills; however, the couple is raising up a new team of horses that will join Carla in pulling carriages in the future.
The Gainesville square was transformed into a Christmas wonderland fit for a Dickens’ novel Friday night, Dec. 10, setting the stage for the widely attended 2021 Wonders of Christmas festival.
Under twinkling Christmas lights and decor, festival attendees enjoyed horse-drawn carriage rides, homemade hot cocoa and spiced wassail, Christmas candy and other delightful home-baked items.
The sweet scent of kettle corn and funnel cakes drifted through the air. Those who came with a hearty appetite were easily satisfied with dinner options ranging from rich homemade soups to smoked barbecue dinners.
A dozen children, dressed in their Christmas finest, participated in the Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas contest this year, delighting the crowd with songs and other cute performances.
Parade watchers admired decked-out floats, flashing emergency response vehicles, decorated new and vintage cars and trucks, marching bands and holiday-clad horseback riders as they rounded the square.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus even flew down from the North Pole, visiting with children and offering gifts.
“The parade and the entire Wonders of Christmas event was wonderful in every way! It’s a bit like being in the middle of a picture postcard to see all the lights and festivities,” said Historium volunteer Janet Taber, who helped organize a soup and chili fundraiser supper during the festival. “The weather was superb, which was a huge bonus. We are so thankful that the Ozark County Historium is open and operating to benefit Ozark County and to make some history of our own, even as we work to preserve and share the record of the past.”
A variety of vendors
The west and north sides of the square featured more than two dozen booths and vendors selling crafts, homemade treats, home decor, Christmas gift ideas, raffle tickets and more.
Although it’s unknown how many people attended, one vendor said volunteers gave out candy canes to more than 200 people, a surprising crowd considering a challenging weather forecast that at one point called for a 70 percent chance of rain during the prime hours of the festival and during the parade.
The rain held off through the festival, and the weather was warm; however, a strong line of storms did pass through the Gainesville area around 9 p.m., just after most vendors had packed up and left.
Allisa West, who heads up the vendors and booths, said that she thought the festival went well.
“The food vendors were all happy with their turnout. A couple of them sold out before the parade,” West said. “I heard mixed reviews from the craft vendors, but that seems to be pretty typical [of any event]… I had a couple of cancellations but most braved the wind at the beginning of the festival. Thankfully, it seemed to calm down the rest of the night.”
West said she counted 28 vendors setup on the square at the festival. Bouquet Palace and the Ozark County Historium, both located on the west side of the square, also stayed open. United County Missouri Ozarks Realty on the north side of the square opened their office for use of bathroom facilities and had games and drinks available, West said.
“It was a great turnout. The weather held off, and it was just a perfect night.”
Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas contest
There were twelve 4- to 5-year-old children who participated in the Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas contest, held at the gazebo this year.
Gainesville resident April Luna headed up the contest emcee duties this year, replacing the contest’s usual emcee Kerrie Zubrod, who stepped down from the task when her grandson Zander Zubrod decided he wanted to enter the contest.
Each contestant took their turn, stepping up onto a raised platform and giving the audience their best smile. Luna asked each contestant a variety of questions, including how old they were, if they had any pets or siblings, if they attended school and what they enjoyed most about Christmas. She then offered a unique holiday-themed question at the end of each child’s performance, asking things like, “What color is Santa’s belt?” and “Who has a red nose?” To end the contest, each child was asked if he or she had anything special to share - a joke or song or something else. Several contestants did participate with a song.
The judges deliberated, considering the answers that each child offered.
Every participants received a prize, a large stuffed teddy bear.
Zander Zubrod, son of Alyssa Wood and Andrew and Victoria Zubrod, and Amanda Thomas, daughter of Markus Thomas and Ashley Thomas, were crowned 2021 Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas. After the contest, the pair of kiddos rode in the back of a convertible driven by Paul Bobby in the Jingle Bell parade.
Other Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas participants in this year’s contest were: Mossy and Emillie VanderVeen, both 5, children of William and LeVienna VanderVeen; Aims Collins, 4, son of Shane and Candice Collins; Cameron Overcast, 4, son of David and Christy Overcast; Kinsley Cooper, 5, daughter of Rick and Haley Cooper; Finley Roberts, 4, daughter of Johnathan and Ralena Roberts; Emerson Burks, 4, daughter of Dylan and Lydia Burks; Emily Graham, 4, daughter of Joseph and Courtney Graham; Natalye Barnes, 4, daughter of Nathan and Lorraine Barnes; and Kyra Walker, 4, daughter of Katie Walker and Cody Collins.
Jingle Bell Parade
The festivities continued at 7 p.m., as festival goers made their way to the edges of the square, allowing room for the 2021 Jingle Bell Parade.
A long line of floats, lighted vehicles, horseback riders, bands and other entries began their parade march on Second Street next to Town & Country Supermarket. The route had participants turn onto Main Street for a short distance, then turn right onto the square and make a full circle, exiting off Third Street.
Parade organizer Paula Rose said that the Dora School band and a few other entries opted out of coming this year due to the forecasted storms, but most of the parade entries showed up with enthusiasm.
Jingle Bell parade emcee Renee Hambelton announced each parade entry as it passed from her helm at the gazebo.
This year’s parade featured 10 floats, 16 vehicles by local businesses, several fire trucks and emergency vehicles, about 20 horseback riders, five classic cars and a variety of convertibles carrying special guests including Ozark County Citizen of the Year Kathryn Atkinson, Parade Marshals Rob Collins and Angie Collins, Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas Zander Zubrod and Amanda “Deedle” Thomas, Hootin an Hollarin Deputy Queen Haddie Parker and Princess Jessee Latham, State Representative Travis Smith, Mayor Gail Reich and others.
The Gainesville High School marching band and The Central High School Kiltie Drum and Bugle Corps from Springfield also participated. The Kilties, an Ozark County favorite at the annual Hootin an Hollarin festival, made two passes around the square with different performances. This was the first year the band participated in the Jingle Bell Parade. The Gainesville High School Cheerleaders performed a dance to “All I Want for Christmas.”
See page 4 for a full listing of parade participants.
After the parade Mr. and Mrs. Claus visited with children and posed for photos taken by parents and family members in the gazebo.