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From ghouls to Yule: Focus shifts to Christmas

By Ashley Rader

With Halloween in the past, downtown merchants have turned their attention to Christmas-season events, unwrapping plans for a second open house event.

After the Downtown Business Association voted last month to host the Christmas Open House on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. until the streets were closed for the Christmas Parade at 4 p.m., merchants in the second block of Elk Avenue decided to host an additional Open House on Sunday, Nov. 18, from 1-5 p.m.

During the October meeting, antiques store owners had expressed a preference for a Sunday open house in November, but the majority of merchants in attendance voted for a Saturday open house in December instead.

Merchants in the second block of downtown, which is where a majority of the antiques stores are located, joined together to host a separate open house from the event that was decided on by the DBA last month.