Business & Tech
Lights and Peppermint Fill Marion Square and 7th Avenue
Local businesses kept their shops open and Santa stopped by for Marion's Christmas in the Park and Peppermint Walk events on Friday evening.
A father and daughter strolled 7th Ave. singing “Deck the Halls” on Friday, while blue and white lights twinkled around them. Outside well-lit storefronts— several open past their usual closing times — horses, reindeer, a balloon artist, and other wonders surrounded Marion Square Park.
The reason for the oddities? Christmas in the Park, an event funded by the Marion Chamber of Commerce, and a tour of area businesses called “Peppermint Walk.” For the latter event, several shops on 7th Ave. — including Intelligent Toys, Antiques of Marion, Happenstance on 7th — provided peppermint and other treats for patrons strolling in and out of businesses.
While some waited in line for over an hour to see Santa — who sat with Mrs. Claus in Marion Square Park — others waited in a different line, watching as Mark Garvey, also known as Papa Balloon, shaped balloons into imaginary beings. Garvey said throughout the night he Santas, Rudolphs, and snowmen, as well as some off-the-wall requests, like a spider and a termite.