We joked on Facebook last week that Ashland still has its Christmas tree up. By the way, it’s still there tonight. Anyway, perhaps the holiday tree still existing is keeping that Christmas excitement in us all..
And in just 275 days from the time this post is being written, December will begin in ernest. Another holiday season of hope to come. Maybe by December we can masklessly sing our hearts out at Christmas parties.. Unless we figured out that those parties we not fun anyway.
Though the Ides of March have yet to give us a cataclysmic event as they do every other year, we can look forward to an event being planned for this coming Christmas season. It’s never too early, right?
You may recall that Jim Thorpe had an incredibly fun impromptu Krampus event in 2019. Due to COVID restrictions, a similar event did not take place in 2020 (but Williamsport held a running of the Krampus parade with social distancing.)
The TIMES NEWS story details what may occur this December,
Plans are in the works for a new German Christmas festival in Jim Thorpe’s Kemmerer Park based upon the traditions of folklore characters. “A few years ago, a couple of residents and business owners dressed up as Krampus, a German character who punishes the naughty, and walked around the streets and interacted with people,” said Marianne Rustad of the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency. “We just put it out on Facebook and people really seemed to enjoy it.” This year, a “Black Forest Krampusnacht Festival” is proposed for Dec. 4, with a rain date of Dec. 5. In German tradition, Krampusnacht is a night when adults might dress up as Krampus to frighten children at their homes, though the event will likely take on a more lighthearted tone in Jim Thorpe.
The Pennsylvania Dutch, Rustad said, may know a version of Krampus known as Belsnickle. “We are looking to tap into an Old World German, Grimm Fairy Tale vibe that is sort of a cross between Christmas and Halloween,” Rustad told council Thursday night. “Our hope is to have a German market with a beer garden, food court and entertainment.”
This is pretty exciting news! We will follow the plans the best we can.
The spirit of Krampusnacht is hitting a little early this year.
