A smaller than usual but steady stream of visitors braved the rainy weather and turned out Saturday for Christmas in Cornelia.
Although several planned activities were canceled -no hay ride, no train ride, and no fun zone for kids – the festive downtown celebration still sparkled with Christmas lights and good cheer.
People shopped late into the evening at local shops offering discounts. Vendors set up their holiday markets indoors.
While organizers caught some flack online for holding the event in the rain, they explained that too much work had gone into it to walk away.
“Our city staff, our business owners, and our vendors have put in too much time, money, energy, and planning to just cancel it. All of us have worked very hard to make this night an event that people want to be at…. even in the rain,” Cornelia Main Street posted to Facebook.
People sipped hot chocolate as they strolled through the streets, stopping to warm by the fire pit and roast marshmallows.
Cornelia Main Street likened it to a “Hallmark Christmas.”
“Our businesses were full and so are our hearts!” a post on the Main Street Facebook page said after the event. “And to the people who come to our events, rain or shine, cold or warm and support our local economy, we do all of this for you, and you support and benefit us, and we THANK YOU for that!”
The city has another reason to be thankful. An online auction of decorated Christmas trees held in conjunction with Saturday’s event raised nearly $1800 for the Cornelia Downtown Development Authority’s Facade Grant Program.
