OTTUMWA — Winter weather reached Ottumwa late this year, just barely in time to be fully in place for the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree.
Flurries fell during the afternoon and temperatures were below freezing by the 6 p.m. lighting ceremony. That kept most of the people who eventually attended indoors until a minute or two beforehand. But they still came, the crowd of 25 or so (including the choir) swelled to around 40. The choir may have had the worst of it — it’s impossible to sing well with a scarf wrapped around your face.
Main Street Ottumwa Director Cindy Woodbury said the cold was extra incentive to keep things moving.
“It’s just going to be short and sweet,” she said.
The tree is the latest addition to Ottumwa’s shift into the holiday season. Decorations have been on streetlights downtown for several weeks and Holiday Nights ’N Lights has drawn well for the first two weeks of operations.
Still, there’s something about a decorated tree for most people. That explains why people stayed despite the cold to sing “Deck the Halls” after Mayor Dale Uehling threw the switch.
It’s supposed to be cold during the holidays, isn’t it?
Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com
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Lighting the Christmas spirit
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