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A big "shout out" to Gary Bay and White Rose Florists in Dodgeville for hanging the decorations on the small poles on the main street for the holidays and also for putting up the lighted trees in the Veteran's Memorial at the courthouse!
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We had our first "major" snowfall of the winter season Friday night and Saturday morning. I haven't confirmed anything, but I figure about 5 inches of that white stuff fell. I shoveled twice at the Chronicle office and it was wet and heavy stuff!
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Even with the snow falling, people turned out pretty good for the Drive-By Santa, pancake breakfast and Live Nativity at St. Joseph Catholic Church. The wind blowing the tent that housed the Nativity was a little bit of a problem, but the kids braved it out pretty well. They did get cold at times though!
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There was a good crowd at the Red Room for the Little Givers Magic Market, pancake breakfast, coloring and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus Saturday morning while I was there. Kids were really happy to buy presents without their parents looking over their shoulder. It gives them a big sense of responsibility and feeling grown up!
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Santa will be in Linden on the 19th and will possibly be making stops in other communities. With the COVID-19 thing though, he may not be making too many stops before Christmas. He doesn't want to come down with anything on Christmas Eve as he has a lot of stops to make that night!
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I was looking back in the Chronicle archives and found that maybe the first time I took "Photos with Santa" was 1978. Over the 40+ years, I have taken them at Hess Home Furniture, the downtown Wisconsin Power & Light Building, The Gentry Shop, the downtown Senior Citizen Building and Cobblestone Coffee House. I may've missed a stop or two. Some of the kids I took photos of may be very close to having their own grandkids by now! I feel really bad that I couldn't carry on the tradition of "Photos with Santa" this year, but I felt it was just too dangerous to the health of not only the kids, but of Santa. We definitely wouldn't want to get him ill before Christmas! Above is a photo I took in 2010.
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With the snow falling and the wind blowing Bob, Terry and I went to the north end of town Saturday to Cafe by Country Kitchen. We didn't want to head out of town not knowing the situation on the roads. There were quite a few ambulance and fire calls on the scanner Friday and some on Saturday too. I read where there were some three dozen (36) slide offs in the Madison area during the snowstorm.