The 5th annual Fen-Stival was scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, with the Christmas Craft Fair, Holiday Parade, and the Unity Tree Lighting, but Mother Nature had other plans.

That day's  forecast called for snow starting in the early morning hours and continuing on into early Sunday.

With that, the decision was made on Wednesday, Nov. 26 to postpone Fen-Stival and all its activities by a day to Sunday, Nov. 30.

And with the unity tree and lights already moved to the Fennimore Railroad Museum, due to the Dwight T. Parker Library remodeling, what was one more “pivot” for this year’s festivities?

That pivot ended up being a very wise decision, as Fennimore received close to 10 inches of snow in the 24 hours of the storm, causing businesses to close and travel not recommended.

Some luck was on Fennimore’s side, as the heavy winds and bitter cold originally scheduled for Sunday held off and the sun was out during the day for the craft fair, and there was little to no wind, and an actually pleasant, snowy, last day of November evening for the parade and lighting.

The craft fair still, as usual, had a good turnout considering the day before’s weather (see photos and write up on the craft fair on page 8), and kids and adults were up and down Madison Street (another 2025 pivot) for the annual Holiday Parade, and then trekked on over to the museum for cocoa, cookies, and the Unity Tree lighting.

Santa and Mrs. Claus, who were in the parade, came over to the festivities for photos and greetings, while the Fennimore High School Choir sang a few Christmas carols for everyone in attendance.

Lastly, a few “hangers on” wrapped the day’s festivities with a reading of the Christmas classic, “Twas the Night Before Christmas” inside the museum. 

Jon Miles, president of the Fennimore Chamber of Commerce, on all the rescheduling and changes for this year’s Fen-Stival stated, “Changing the Fen-Stival date due to the snow storm was certainly stressful, but we believe it was the right decision. The feedback we received was very positive and while it did disrupt some participants’ plans, the majority were pleased that the activities were not canceled. The parade was a hit and the tree lighting with the snow was a beautiful moment.”

He went to say, “There is a long list of people involved to make this all happen and some I’m probably not even aware of, but there are a few extra special people in the background that really stepped it up with the date change: Cindy Smith (you’re amazing), Ashley Mumm, Anthony Downing, and Kaleb Pagel. Thank you to everyone who contributed and participated.”

It may have not gone according to plan, but at the end, the holiday season was officially kicked off here in Fennimore, with just a brief delay.