liveIOWAyour guide to Iowa’s favorite events

Iowa’s Top 10 Holiday Events

Ten of the best holiday festivities from all around Iowa!

With the holidays fast approaching, communities around the world are preparing festivities! Big cities, small towns, and villages from the North to the South Pole are all working to keep their traditions alive. Iowa is no exception! Iowans are gearing up for the holidays in a variety of ways.

We are excited to show you the top holiday traditions in Iowa. Events such as these are what being an Iowan is truly about: small town festivals, month-long events, fine parties, and family-friendly fun. Every town in Iowa has their own holiday traditions, so we chose 10 of the best we could find and we are bringing them to you!

Those that move away from Iowa miss everything about Iowa during the holidays. From the crunch of the snow beneath winter boots, the chill you feel as you walk outside, the warmth of a mug full of hot chocolate heaped with marshmallows, to the snow drifts filling fields that were recently filled with corn or beans, these things fill our hearts withjoy during the holiday season.

From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!

Megan WheelerMegan Wheeler, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Iowa’s Top 10 Discover the events that you just can’t miss this 2014 holiday season. Events for men and women, boys and girls.

Christmas Greetings Waverly hosts the best holiday event of the year. Check it out!

Crazy Christmas Facts Social media facts related to the holidays. Be the smart one of your friends at that Ugly Christmas Sweater party!

A LOOK INSIDE...

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IOWA’S TOP 10HOLIDAY EVENTS

OF 2014

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Cedar Falls turns the Iowa Northern Railway Co.’s Hawkeye Express into the Snowflake Express to host 3,500 people on a holiday-themed joy ride each year. A portion of the profits goes to The

Magical Mix Kids whil helps terminally ill children and their families make a trip to Disney World. Get your tickets fast, the Snowflake Express carries the maximum load every year!

Iowa City has hid elves in 45 different downtown businesses. Children can find the elves at each participating business and receive a card. If 25 cards

are collected, the participant gets entered into a drawing for two grand prize baskets. Join Iowa City in their Downtown Hunt for the Elves event

all throughout the month of December for this free event.

Travel to the Historic Valley Junction is West Des Moines to visit Jingle in the Junction. Over 150,000 twinkling lights will be

there to greet you. Horse and trolly rides, live reindeers, and a visit to Santa are all a must see on three Saturdays of the

holiday season!

Visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum in West Branch to see A

Shakespeare Christmas. The exhibit features 20 Christmas trees that each

represent a different Shakespeare play. The exhibit will be displayed

November 15, 2014 - January 4, 2015.

This Grammy-winning ensemble puts the S-H-O in show! Directed by world-renowned pianist, arranger and producer Oscar Hernández, the all-star ensemble has introduced the thrilling sounds of New York City salsa to

music lovers worldwide. Now they bring their irresistible sound to the music of the holidays. Join a holiday celebration that “double-dares you not to

move” at Drake University this holiday season.

Run in Santa’s Snow Shuffle 5K Fun Run/Walk in Cedar Falls.

Runners are encouraged to dress up in their best holiday

gear with prizes being awarded at the end to “Best Santa,”

“Best Group Costume,” and “Best Costume.” Enjoy holiday

refreshments after the race while $1000 door prizes are

awarded.

Don your winter whites (or Santa

costumes), and join Americana Restaurant

& Lounge in Des Moines for an evening

to pay tribute to the classic 1954 legacy

film; White Christmas! Join the dance party to benefit local charities throughout the night.

The Holiday Ball is a formal gala with dinner, music, dancing, and incredible auction items, perfect for holiday shopping. The event is emceed by Morgan Ottier from KWQC with Special Guest and

Speaker Chad Pregracke, Founder of Living Lands and Waters and CNN’s 2013 Hero of the Year. The event will introduce the winners of Club Member of the Year Awards! Member-made art pieces and

ornaments will also be for sale.

Remember when your parents used to bundle you up in pajamas and drive around looking at that one neighborhood’s ridiculous holiday

lights? Jolly Holiday Lights is this but better as 3.5 miles though Water Works Park of Des Moines are transformed by the power of light display. Hosted by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, you cannot

miss this event if you are in the area.Joll

Christmas Greetings on MainOn Thursday, December 11, 2014 Waverly, IA hosted their

annual Christmas Greetings on Main event. Each year during the holiday season, Waverly hosts this event for

their community to enjoy. Christmas Greetings on Main has everything and more from horse-drawn carriage rides, window scenes by all of the local businesses, “hot stations”

stocked with free hot chocolate, soups, and desserts, ice sculptures, and Santa visits for children and their families

inside his house.

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Christmas Greetings on MainWaverly, IA

Santa in the ParkA line almost out to the road was still formed to see Santa Claus in his house after the event’s end at 8:00. Santa stayed late to make sure that each of the kids in line had a chance to see him and his home. Almost an hour later, the last child in line finally emerged with a huge grin on his face. Santa had stayed late past his original times in order to make sure each child had the chance to give him their letters and tell him what they would like for Christmas.

“My favorite part is having time with each child,” explained Santa Claus. “This is why this event is one of my favorites; each child gets to come in with their family to talk to me and that way it is more private and personal.” Santa took his time with each child too. He’s not like the Santas you see on TV that try to move children through the line as quickly as possible. He invites each child into his house where they can talk without outside interruptions.

Maybe this is why year after year of Christmas Greetings on Main in Waverly, children are lined up for an hour just to see the same Santa Claus that comes year after year. “This year was my ninth year of doing this event!” Out of over fifty events he stops at each year, Waverly’s Christmas Greetings on Main is always one of his favorites. “I just really like how personal being in my house makes each conversation with each

child feel.”

After the last kid had left, Santa sat around for a while to read all the letters the children wrote to him. He likes to take that time to reflect on each child and feels most comfortable when he is sitting at his home near the river; he finds it peaceful. Earlier in the day, he stopped up at the hospital in Waverly to see the kids that can’t make it out to him. Santa proclaimed, “I try to stop at hospitals apart from all the other events I do in the area to talk to the kids that may not be able to make it out to see me at that event!”

In Santas nine years of attendance at this event, he has seen just about everything. From children that are petrified to meet him, others that run up to him like an old friend, being puked on, but he remembers one fond memory in particular. He remembers a little girl around eight years old that came in to see him during his second year of the event. The little girl was embarrassed to read the letter out loud, so she asked him if she could whisper it into his ear. He obliged, and she told him what she wanted. Santa told her that he would make sure that she got the present she was requesting and she hugged him tightly. As she let go from the hug, she gently tugged on his beard to see whether he was really Santa. Santa gently replied, “That beard’s not going anywhere sweetie!”

“I just really like how personal being in my house

makes each conversation with each child feel.”

Ice SculpturesIf you came upon a group all gathered in one place, they were probably watching Ron Dillavou with Chain Reaction Carvings. Dillavou carved two ice sculptures throughout the night: the Great Seal of the United States featuring an eagle with a flag shield and an angel.

Many onlookers sat mesmerized as they watched him carve the entire thing with the help of a chainsaw. He created details that many found astounding. At the end of the evening, he left them there to be appreciated until they were melted by the elements.

He created details that many found astounding...

Sleigh Bells Ring

Christmas Greetings on Main also offered a horse-drawn trolley ride for children and their families throughout the evening. Rides lasted ten minutes and took their riders up and down Main Street to see all of the window displays. The line was full the entire two hours of the event and they eventually had to start turning away people because otherwise they would have ended well after the 8:00pm end time.

The trolley, sponsored by Heritage Farms, had warm blankets on each bench for their riders to cover up with. Pulled by two horses, the trolley was full the entire time that trolley ran. Children and adults alike would stop to watch as the trolley passed them and many hurried down to try to catch the next ride.

A Candy Cane Christmas

While you could see the window displays from the trolley, you could also visit them up close. The theme for this year’s

Christmas Greetings on Main was Candy Cane Christmas, so many of the window scenes were decorated to match the theme. From a litter of puppies at Jo Marco to a visit from Anna and Elsa of Frozen to Love and Lace, there was something for everyone. Many business owners were also handing out candy canes as treats to those who stopped to admire their window scenes. Carolers delighted the ears of people as they passed and bands played. Board games and prizes were played and handed out as well. “Hot Stations” were set-up as well. They handed out items such as hot chocolate, coffee, s’mores and other warm

desserts. Scattered up and down on both sides of the street, these were places for people to take a break and warm up before continuing their journey down Main Street.

From a litter of puppies at Jo Marco to a visit from Anna and Elsa of Frozen to Love and Lace, there was something for everyone!

Social Media over the Holidays

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