ROCKWOOD – There may not be any snow but some businesses in Rockwood are already looking at December as they hold the first-ever Christmas In July event in town.
There will be sidewalk sales, a Christmas-themed farmers’ market, decorations, live music, a Christmas tree contest and even a rare summer appearance from Santa himself.
Jarod Dalley-Haase is the owner of the year-round Christmas-themed cafe The Bearded Barista and is, naturally, an organizer of this event.
“It was always kind of a plan to do a Christmas In July but it was more for our location but as we discussed it with other businesses and said what we’re doing they thought it would be a great idea to include the town,” Dalley-Haase said.
He explained it will start on July 24 with a themed farmers’ market at Rockmosa Park which will include children’s activities like make your own ornaments and vendors decorating their stalls in a Christmas motif and some selling themed products.
Saturday, July 27, will be the big day as Santa will be taken through town on an old fire truck and then brought to The Bearded Barista for photo ops. This day will also feature vendors outside of Humble and Hair and Plain Jane Organics.
A few places in town will have Christmas trees up for a judging contest.
Dalley-Haase said this year’s event will be relatively small but he hoped to grow it into a destination event for Rockwood as he’s seen similar events in the United States that are very popular.
“For me, it’s a draw to get people to this town of Rockwood and see the businesses and walk the streets,” Dalley-Haase said. “There’s a lot of little shops there that don’t necessarily get noticed unless people are actually on foot and walking through or having an event to come and see everything.”
A full listing of events and schedules can be found on this Facebook page.