By Bruce Karnick
With the not so fun year that has been 2020, the Hastings Downtown Business Association and others have been forced to cancel many of the events they host downtown for the community. So far, 2020 has witnessed the cancellations of car shows, the Halloween event, Gobble Gait and the Holiday Hoopla, but that has not deterred the holiday spirit of Hastings.
Thanks to Hastings Ford and Hastings Chrysler, every Saturday in December, shoppers were treated to holiday music being played throughout Second Street East while they moved from shop to shop. On the final Saturday before Christmas, there was an added attraction, horse drawn wagons. The two wagons were available for free rides until four pm, just as the sun was going down.
“We brought [the horses] in to bring people to shop, eat and enjoy the downtown. The response was great! People walking around, it was great to see,” Tatia Nelson, President of the HDBA said after the event.
“A huge thank you to Hastings Ford and Hastings Chrysler for sponsoring the wagon rides,” Nelson added.
Horses are such beautiful and majestic creatures and they still fascinate people of all ages, add to it the nostalgia of songs like Jingle Bells and the combination becomes almost magical. The sounds of the horses trotting down the street, the bells jingling and the wagon rattling, you cannot help but smile and take it in, even if it is just for a moment.
Along with the horses doing their thing, if you were lucky, you may have run in to Frosty, if you were not so lucky, the Grinch. OK, The Grinch’s heart had already grown, so you would be lucky to bump into him too. Both were out taking pictures with folks and handing out candy canes.
Overall, the extra attractions were a success and it was nice to see people wandering the streets of downtown.
Horse drawn wagons were a huge hit for the last saturday before Christmas in downtown Hastings. Sponsored by Hastings Ford and Hastings Chrysler. Photo by Bruce Karnick
