Candlelight Walk 2010

Tonight was our town's annual Candlelight Walk.

I look forward to this event all year.

This is the Historical Society where the Candlelight Walk begins.

The mayor starts the evening with the lighting of the Christmas tree.

The high school band plays Christmas carols.

All the shops are decorated to the hilt.

The street lights are wrapped with greenery and white lights.

The police close the four roads leading to the town square.

Costumed shop keepers pass out candy to the children.

Free horse drawn carriage rides.

I got a few shots of the shop windows

because I just knew you all would want to see.

See those "mannequins" in the next picture?

This particular shop always features a window scene

with live people acting like animatronic mannequins.

Last year it was two elves in Santa's shop.

They hammered the night away in true robotic form.

The local bakery has a miniature train

which runs through a village in their window.

My son makes sure that we look at it every year.

Of course, the cookies that we buy there don't hurt.

Tonight was beautiful and clear.

A cold 36 degrees which actually isn't too bad.

We heard lots of Christmas music,

drank lots of free hot chocolate, and

ate too many cookies.

Some of the other attractions:

A bagpipe player

Sled dogs

Santa in the fire engine.

I felt like I was in a Norman Rockwell painting.

A lovely evening.