GAMBIER — Mount Vernon choir director Trevor Garrabrant challenged people attending Gambier’s third-annual Village Lights event on Sunday.
“If you leave without feeling the Christmas holiday spirit, I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” Garrabrant said.
The small-town Christmas spirit was alive, mostly in the form of children building snowmen, the sound of the Yellow Jackets’ choir singing traditional Christmas songs and the aroma of hot chocolate in the air.
Several vendors set up tables in front of Kenyon College’s bookstore, selling festive ornaments, clothing and assorted woodworks. One vendor offered free books.
“It’s just a wonderful thing to pour into small communities like this that just have the joy of being together while celebrating the holidays,” Garrabrant said.
“Having the kids come down gets them out into the public and allows them to see things that they may not have seen.”
Gambier Mayor Leeman Kessler said the village had hoped to add a winter community get-together, citing the town’s other seasonal events, such as the Fourth of July parade.
“Coming out of COVID, we had members of council that really wanted to look for ways to bring the community back together, to find ways to celebrate Gambier, and this was one of those celebrations” Kessler said.
“Councilwoman Kaitlin Sockman was a huge part of getting this organized. She loved the idea of us having kind of a craft market or a maker’s market, and bringing lots of folks together, there’s that sense of community celebration.”
Kessler said he appreciated the weather holding up, delivering a slight snow flurry to set the scene, and that people came out to see, “Gambier in all its winter charm and glory.”
Below are photos from Gambier’s Village Lights event on Sunday. Credit: Jack Slemenda
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