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SHADYSIDE -- A sizable crowd gathered Thanksgiving Eve to enjoy music and fellowship despite the chilly weather during the village Christmas Tree lighting.
Bre Price, owner of Bre's Hair with Flair and member of the Shadyside Chamber of Commerce assisted in organizing the event. She said enthusiasm was high and pointed out multiple fun activities.
"We've got hay rides for the kids. We have hot chocolate, we have popcorn, we have cookies and we have hot dogs, and we'll have special music as well," she said.
Price added there were 75 to 100 people during last year's event and looked forward to a comparable amount Wednesday night.
"But the weather was good. With the rain, hopefully we'll have a good turnout this time," she said.
The lighting had been set for Tuesday, but was postponed due to heavy rainfall.
She pointed out another modification were the hay rides sponsored by Bre's Hair with Flair with drivers Kent Price and Mike Lappert, her husband and father.
"Last year we did horse-drawn carriage rides but we changed it up this year so we could accommodate more kids at one time," she said. She pointed out other activities such as face tattoos for the children.
"We have a couple of the churches volunteering to do the cookies this year," she said. LifeWise Academy, which provides Bible teaching to students, passed out popcorn. She thanked resident Jay Johnson and crew for setting up the lights.
Price added this is also a time for visitors from out of the area to enjoy some fellowship prior to Thanksgiving.
Pastor Joel Traylor of the New Life Fellowship Church also helped organize and plan the event.
"We've got a lot of people volunteering," he said. "This is 23 years I've been involved in it. ... They came out ready for fun. It's a good turnout."
Volunteer DJ Mike Ringer was in the spirit of the occasion.
"Just stressing the importance of Christmas and Christ," he said. "I've been (DJing) for about 30 years. God gave me the gift of this and I want to be able to share it. I just volunteer my time. It's important. It's important for the community. It's important for the kids to just share the love of Christ with everybody. ... We have a great turnout. We sing carols. We have a lot of crowd participation."
Derek Wallace was the winner of a drawing contest and got to light the Christmas Tree.
Following the tree lighting, Santa Claus arrived on a fire engine and greeted the children.
Vicki Davis of Shadyside was among the attendants.
"I'm bringing my granddaughter. My other daughter's working, so I brought her up so she can see Santa Claus and have some hot chocolate," she said.
Jason Skaggs of Shadyside was also out with family.
"Hopefully we see Santa Claus," he said.
The other Chamber of Commerce members are Bobbi Jo Kinnemond, Pam Neal, Beth Maskiveich, Kim Dunfe, and Dena Patt.
The public is also invited to the Shadyside Christmas Parade at 7 p.m. Dec. 1.