’Thursday Before Christmas’ brings song and carriage rides together

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Esamae and Anna got plenty of exercise Thursday night walking the streets of downtown Charles City.

The Haflinger draft horses didn’t seem to mind the workout.

The chestnut equine provided carriage rides during the “Thursday Before Christmas” on the town square.

The second annual event in Charles City featured a heated tent on the closed-off Kelly Street adjacent to Central Park. The carriage rides were just part of the celebration that saw music being sung inside the cozy confines of the enclosed structure and a reading of the Biblical story “The First Christmas.”

The event was inspired by Gospel Lighthouse pastor Joe Low and his Bible study group a few years back. They rode on the back of a flatbed trailer pulled by a semi, singing Christmas carols.

“We prayed about what we should do. We talked about a permanent structure that the whole community could get involved,” said Low.

He decided last year to put up the tent and invite anyone that wanted to attend to join in the fun.

This year there were several different bands playing. There was also plenty of Christmas cookies, festive treats and hot chocolate for the many who stepped inside the tent to hear the music and get a break from the brisk winter wind.

“We trusted God that this is what we’re supposed to do,” said Low.

Low said this year’s Thursday Before Christmas” had a few more groups that played music and the line for the carriage rides was inside the tent.

“Our main goal was to keep people out of the cold weather. Last year we had like 20 people out there that were missing what was happening in here,” he said.

The rides were courtesy of Noel Maier, who offers horse-drawn carriage rides out of her business in Riverside, a small town near Iowa City.

Low said he expects to hold the event again next year, perhaps with some more changes.

“It’s a living organism. Next year we’ll do something different. I’m sure we will,” he said. “The basics of it will be the same. We’ll have a heated tent. There’ll be music, there’ll be refreshments, and there’ll be horses.

“Next year, there might be an opportunity to where we come up with a few games. You never know. It’s just kind of whatever the Lord wants us to do.”