Weather thrwarts much of Christmas on Main Street

THOMPSON FALLS – Cold weather forced the rescheduling of many of the popular events of Christmas on Main Street, however, some continued on as scheduled.

The bitter forecast rescheduled both the parade and the music at the Rex Theater but the Gingerbread contest and the Sanders County Christmas Arts and Craft Fair ran as scheduled.

As vendors flooded both the Thompson Falls high school’s gym and the community center, attendees had a lot of vendors to choose for.

With over 60 vendors, anything from crocheted baby clothes to beautiful pottery was on display. Santa Claus made an appearance and handed out candy canes to those who visited with him. There were also raffle prizes handed out to the people who filled the gymnasium.

Each vendor donated 10 percent of their proceeds to the Sanders County Sheriff’s Relief Fund, a program designed to bring Christmas to families who otherwise would not be able to afford presents.

The Old Jail Museum also opened their doors for the annual Gingerbread Contest. This year, the kindergarten classes created 29 gingerbread men and one entry was entered into the public category.

This year the event featured a new twist. While typically the gingerbread men are lined up on one wall, this year they were scattered throughout the museum, creating a one of a kind gingerbread scavenger hunt.

A map was provided upon entrance and students as well as other participants walked through the museum marking how many gingerbread they found.

“This is the first year it’s actually open,” said Sanders County Historical Society’s Teri Johnsen, referring to the top floor.

Johnsen said the opportunity allowed a lot of first time visitors to walk through the entire museum – something new and exciting for many of the attendees.