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Santa receives warm welcome from local kids
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IRENE GALLAGHER DISCUSSES her holiday wish list with Santa Claus in the Soldiers Grove Public Library last Saturday.

Santa’s velvet pants may need knee patches after this past weekend.

Approximately 140 children sat on Santa’s knee between his stops in Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The children. with parents and grandparents in tow, created a steady stream of customers for the bake sales in the respective village halls, which benefitted the Luther Memorial Church and Soldiers Grove Lionesses.

“The church sold out and they were very happy,” said Barb Murphy, an organizer for the PACE Club, which sponsored the Gays Mills event.

Approximately 75 people attended the Bizarre Bazaar held the same day at 212 Main Street, the former Gays Mills Community Building.

Vendors offered a wide variety of goods from botanical prints to Alpaca fiber goods to jewelry, honey, jams and more.

That event also featured a bake sale, which raised $25 for the purchase of hats and mittens at North Crawford Schools.

“It was a nice steady stream (of shoppers) and a lot of visiting going on,” said organizer Kay Smiley.