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Community Calendar ���� B11-14
Black Saturday
Local universities Museum of Art ���������������������� B5, 8 ���������������������������B1
Sat., Nov. 26th • 8am - 10am
1824 D, W. Dupont Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46825 260-969-6955 • www.5Elements-spa-salon.com
November 11, 2016
Serving INfortwayne.com Northwest Fort Wayne & Allen County
Nostalgia takes the reins at Christmas in Country By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcmedia.com
Teams of horses pulled plows and wagons in the farming community where Dick Griffis was raised. Griffis watched such a team from the seat of a snowplow that his father built. That was at Carroll and Hand roads, north of Fort Wayne. That was early in Griffis’ story, which is 76 and growing. It’s a special feeling that has defied time. Griffis and other members of the DeKalb County Horsemen’s Association share that feeling with crowds at about 90 events each year. They will do so again four nights in December at Christmas in the Country at the Allen County Fairgrounds. Griffis said the club’s horse-drawn contingent is always received warmly on those cold nights. The club will take four teams
FILE PHOTOS
Jesse and Vicki Shovek and children Dawson, 7, and Stella, 3, pose for a photo at the 2015 Christmas in the Country at the Allen County Fairgrounds.
to take turns pulling two wagons. The clop-clop of hooves will echo through the stillness. Strings of holiday lights will silhouette the leafless trees. Families will bundle up in blankets for the adventure that will leave them right where they started. “We get a tremendous
amount of comments. That’s why we’re there every year,” said Griffis, a horsemen’s association board member and former vice president. “People really enjoy it. They will ride all the wagons. People get off one wagon and get on another one. That happens in other
Horse-drawn wagons will carry visitors through the Allen County Fairgrounds to enjoy the stillness and admire the decorated trees at Christmas in the Country.
towns and at other events, too.” The DeKalb County Horsemen’s Association stays busy spring into winter, weather-permitting. Griffis now lives in Garrett, where the Christmas Parade of Lights at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19 will allow no motorized vehicles — only horses, ponies and mules.
Then the club will go to Hamilton Lake and then Salomon Farm Park from 1-5 p.m. Dec. 3, and then Fremont and Angola and Edgerton, Ohio, east of Butler. The teams that go to Christmas in the Country might be horses or mules or Haflingers, which are smaller than work horses but are bred to pull loads.
They might be Fjords, which are Norwegian work horses. “These animals are worked. They’re in parades, they’re in everything. They’re really good around people, and it’s the people we have in our club that makes them that way,” Griffis said. See REINS, Page A10
Shriners unite with Santas
Holiday-themed pub crawl will benefit nonprofit hospital By Whitney Wright wwright@kpcmedia.com
CONTRIBUTED
Santacon Fort Wayne’s logo encourages participants to dress as any holiday figure they choose, including Santa or a reindeer.
Cincinnati, Ohio. He saw thousands of Santa Clauses and holiday-themed individuals walking around the city one winter. After inquiring into the details of the event, he learned of Santacon Cincinnati, which is tied into helping a nonprofit. Hardiek felt it was all a perfect match for Fort Wayne. “It’s one thing to dress up as Santa Claus and walk around, and another thing to do it and benefit a nonprofit. It’s a good fundraiser and is also a way to drive people to downtown Fort Wayne,” said Hardiek.
Related stories n For a complete list of holiday events.
Page A4
n For a list of Night of Lights events.
Page A11
Hardiek has primarily worked on promoting and organizing the event while Scott Thatcher, the other event coordinator, will be more in charge of the event on the day. Santacon Fort Wayne can best be described as a pub crawl, though participants are not required to stay on a See SANTA, Page A14
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Fort Wayne has a new holiday tradition on Dec.10 for adults in the community looking to have a little fun during the busy holiday season while benefiting a worthy local charity. Santacon Fort Wayne is an opportunity for people 21-years and older to dress as a favorite holiday figure — whether it be Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, an elf or Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” — and enjoy some of the best restaurants and bars in downtown Fort Wayne. Partakers receive a numbered lanyard which allows them to receive specials at participating locations and win raffle prizes, all while providing funds to the Mizpah Shrine Patient Van Replacement Fund. Mike Hardiek, one of the event coordinators for Santacon Fort Wayne, got the idea while visiting
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