Polar Express 2015

This year Sadieville hosted the 4th Annual Polar Express. We were off to a rocky start this year.  We received one phone call from the Scott County Library asking if the Christmas lights were still in the caboose and if they were working. Sandy Whelan, our new City Clerk, called me. I eMail Pastor Mullins since Eagle Creek Baptist Church has been using the caboose over the summer as a Sunday School room. He eMailed me back and said the lights were there and working. I told Sandy and that was the sum total of our communication with the library.

The next thing we knew the Library printed and gave out tickets for one evening only and we knew nothing about it. I usually publish their flyer on the two Facebook pages for Sadieville that I maintain. We didn't get to do that to notify the people of Sadieville and northern Scott County. In fairness to the library, they are under a major renovation and addition being built on the library. They were going to close the 7th of December until the 28th of December to move things from the original part of the library to the new addition so renovations could be made to the original section. They were short handed which necessitated them only having one night of the Polar Express reading instead of two nights. They thought they sent over a flyer with the person who maintains the Library Express kiosk outside of City Hall. Those flyers never came to Sadieville so we were completely out of the loop. No one ever saw an advertisement about this year's Polar Express in the paper. Not sure how or where it was advertised but it was totally missed by those of us in Sadieville. Steps have been put in place so this doesn't happen next year. And the library plans to take the event back to a two night event. 

Even with all that drama, this year was a great event. 160 children were able to listen to the Polar Express read in the caboose. Santa Claus talked with lots of children in City Hall. Pictures were taken. Hot chocolate and cookies were consumed. It was a wonderful evening. 

Here are a few pictures:

There is a wide range of reactions to Santa Claus. There is also a wide range of how parents handle the kids reactions. I love Santa holding the babies. It is fun to watch the family when the child finally is okay with sitting on Santa's knee. It is a strange kind of thing we do with teaching our children "Don't talk to strangers?" "Don't take candy from strangers?" and then we bring them to a man dress like no other they ever see in daily life with striking hair all around his face and say, "Sit on this man's knee and tell him your wishes and he will give you a candy cane!" I marvel. Simply marvel at we humans. 

I also loved the picture of Claude. Not sure if he was making a Christmas list to give to Santa or if he was working on his 'to do' list for work. 

This year's Polar Express ran very smoothly. When all was said and done, the library was happy and Sadieville was happy. But...I have a lot of left over candy canes!!