Colfax Cherishes Cheerful County Chrismas

Horse drawn carriages and a scavenger hunt for Santa Clause were just a few events that drew hundreds to Saturday’s Colfax County Christmas.

The night kicked off with a stilted start when the first event, a celebration’s tree lighting, had to be delayed due to a broken sound system, but this didn’t stop visitors from flooding through the town to kick off the holiday season.

Most visitors soon occupied themselves with the Santa Clause Scavenger Hunt.

Several small Santa’s scattered themselves throughout different downtown businesses and had to be discovered by only the most creative and diligent hunters. Hundreds of children scattered themselves searching for the various St. Nicks.

The question on everyone’s mind, “Where’s Santa”?

This adventure took families to many different downtown businesses, Colfax Pharmacy, Twice Blessed, Professional Hair Designers and so many more all pitched in to create both a fun, and challenging, hunt for everyone.

Once people had finished their Santa hunting adventure many took the opportunity to enjoy the events small business open houses.

People poured into downtown antiquing staple Weathervane Vintage, so much so that the owner Rob Langloss had to manage traffic inside his slightly cramped store space.

“People just keep following the crowds. One minute nobody’s in here and then boom, 20 people pour through the door. It’s been a pretty busy night so far and we’re only about halfway through,” Langloss said.

Just across the street from Weathervane, parents with younger kids assembled inside the Colfax Senior Center to visit and get photo’s with the big guy, Santa Clause himself all the way from the North Pole.

Santa’s elves helped to manage the crowds as the room became more and more crowded as the night went on. To help alleviate some of the congestion a craft table was set up to keep kids occupied while they waited their turn to sit on Santa’s lap.

Some of the littles ones needed some convincing that the large, white bearded man in the red suit was as friendly as he seemed. Some parents even had to have their kids sit on their laps while they sat on Santa’s.

This happened a few times and always got a big laugh from those waiting in line.

Just down the street, several businesses new to downtown used the event to introduce themselves to the community.

Located inside the former city hall building a new shared work space, called Co-Work, was open to the public for the first time. Offering snacks and a lovely dog filled sleigh the buildings new owners, Lynia Ghormley and Greg Huff, welcomed in curious visitors.

The space, which is currently undergoing renovations, will serve as a shared workspace for all kinds smaller of businesses and non-profits.

“We’re a little off the beaten path, but were happy to be here,” Ghormley said.

Finally, to cap off an already eventful night many visitors took the opportunity to catch a free ride on a horse drawn carriage.

Riders got on just in front of the new Colfax City Hall and spent a few exhilarating minutes whizzing down Colfax’s city streets. This ride was especially popular with younger members of the crowd.

Large crowds and big smiles were fixtures for the entire night, proving that this is one Colfax County Christmas most won’t soon forget.