This week in 1939, Ridgeway residents were very busy preparing for Old Kris Kringle’s arrival. The Opdyke post of the American Legion and the business owners in Ridgeway prepared a “gala day for the Youngsters and their parents”. The day included a kids’ Christmas parade and visit from Kris Kringle where he handed out free candy to the kids. The Palace Theater showed a free movie for the kids. Ridgeway merchants offered special pricing on their wares for anyone who was still Christmas shopping In addition to all these festivities, someone climbed to the top of one of the buildings on Main Street and threw presents down for anyone who could get to them. (I would like to know more about this tradition, but nothing more was written.)
That evening, the Aldersgate choir performed a special, free Christmas cantata titled “The Christmas Glory”. The twenty-two-voice choir had performed the concert at the Methodist church the previous week and included pieces such as “Adeste Fidelis”, Arise, Shine, for Thy Light is Come” and “Hark! The Notes of Joy”. It ended with the choir singing “Joy to the World”. Lowell S. Barnes directed the choir and Cecile Miner was the pianist. (Ridgeway Journal, December 21, 1939).
