By the time this gets into print Deer Season will be in full swing, Thanksgiving dinner will be a memory and the left-overs will be gone. Everyone is now in a panic to get the Christmas decorations out and up and the ‘lists’ made and the shopping has begun. Hope you made good use of our Bearly Used GPA Christmas Shop this year. It was full of wonderful decorations and gifts at rock-bottom prices. Our Festival of Trees was another success. We seem to break records every year. We had 56 trees and 26 fantastic baskets. By now the trees have gone to a new home and the baskets have been unpacked – with some of the goodies earmarked for gifts, some to be eaten, and others to be used thruout the year. I haven’t heard anything, but there were a lot of Lottery Tickets on the trees – maybe someone got lucky!
Did you go to the Christmas Parade? Grayling was celebrating the 40th year of this event. It just gets bigger and better every year. The parade was put on by Grayling Main Street. Wasn’t it nice that Santa was inside – so the little ones didn’t have to wait in the cold. Big thank you to the Artisan Gallery for their help. If that was your first time inside the Gallery I hope you noticed all the wonderful artwork. Painting, sculptures, jewelry, cards, room décor of all kinds – even yard sculptures – and every month on the evening of the 3rd Wednesday there is entertainment. Whether its instrumental or vocal – its always good. No charge – but there is a box for donations. The Gallery is “not just an art gallery” – its almost a museum. And the nice thing about it is that these artists are from Michigan. Speaking of “from Michigan” – so is “Tip ‘ n the Mitten” across the street!!! The other first for the Christmas Parade was Fireworks!! Guess they’re not just for the 4th of July anymore! When you’re doing your Christmas shopping don’t forget your local stores – they depend on you!!
Hope you are smiling as you drive around town and see all the GPA Snowmen that grace the light poles. Most of them had a touch-up this year and then our hard working GPA member Kathy Nofzinger put them up. These fun decorations will be up until Spring is almost in our sights – maybe the first of March. That’s when GPA starts thinking about flowers again.
If you went to the Festival of Trees – the Christmas Parade – or enjoy the snowmen – remember that all of these things are put on by volunteers. Its all for you – and for OUR TOWN. If you’d like to be a part of it you can call the Chamber of Commerce, the Main Street Office, or GPA – and find out what you can do to help “our town” be the Best Town in the North!
Since you won’t hear from me until late in December – I’ll wish you all a Merry Christmas – and a very Happy Holiday.
-Betty Bennett-
