Downtown Cardington will be lit up with red and green, decorated with wreaths on telephone poles, and open for business on Thursday, Dec. 14, from 5-8 p.m. for the annual Christmas in Cardington event.
Most businesses will have activities for visitors, and the American Legion Park will hold a handful of functions, too.
The Cardington-Lincoln Public Library is scheduled to have a photo booth, and local and visiting authors throughout the evening. The Tomorrow Center will be on scene and sponsoring cookie decorating on the first floor of the building. Across the street, FC Bank is sponsoring a live reindeer area.
As you walk down towards the stoplight and turn left, the corners of South Marion Street and West Second Street are home to the U.S. Post Office and First Federal Bank. Postmaster Mike Long and his employees will have the opportunity for children to write letters to Santa Claus. The parking lot of the First Federal Bank will feature horse drawn carriage rides.
Heading west on Second Street will take you to Park Avenue where the American Legion, Cardington Firehouse, and Village Park are located. The American Legion will host a meal provided by Pals of Pirates, the school district’s PTO group. Neil Ebert’s jazz band will play several Christmas tunes throughout the dinner hour. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be taking toy requests from children in the firehouse.
Within the village’s park, the shelter house will house The Ice Man, an ice sculptor, and hot chocolate sponsored by the Cardington-Lincoln FFA. In the closed down section of Park Avenue, there will be ice skating and an alpine slide for all ages sponsored by the Morrow County Hospital. In the Rotary Club Building on the corner of Park Avenue and West Second Street, craft vendors will be set up inside for the night.
There are raffle tickets for sale for prize baskets put together and donated by businesses associated with Cardington that can be purchased at the downtown businesses by the stoplight.
Walking around the village’s downtown will be the Elf on the Shelf, sponsored by Gompf Funeral Service, the Grinch, and Christmas carolers, both sponsored by Friends of Cardington.
Quinn Maceyko is a correspondent for the Morrow County Sentinel.
