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If there is one thing that people can say about the holidays in our area, it’s that there are plenty of traditions to be a part of.

Some have been longer than others, but at the end of the day, there are events that families make their way to every year.

For just under 20 years, the Mower County Historical Society’s Christmas in the County has been one of those events, having grown from a simple sale to what it is today.

“When it first started out it was a Christmas wreath sale,” said Barb Lewis, who was there in the beginning when the event took off. That’s all we had was Christmas wreaths. And then we had the food and kids activities.”

These days, the annual event, which will take place this year on Dec. 13-14 and kicking off with the annual bake sale pick up on Dec. 13, includes a number of familiar holiday notes. The crafts for kids, horse-drawn wagon rides, Mrs. Claus and of course the holiday train with its working whistle.

The train itself is one of the rare holdovers from the very beginning and drew attention almost immediately.

“That started right away and the very first year the train blew (the whistle) we had a telephone call,” Lewis said, remembering what the person was asking. “Is the train leaving the historical society?”

After just two years a raffle was added in an effort to try and raise more money. The bake sale followed, which proceeded to grow exponentially each year.

Both Lewis and later Research and Archives Manager Sue Doocy remembered watching the success of the bake sale and how people would line the hallway to get their goodies.

“It’s like kids in a candy store,” Doocy said. “I’ll have two of those, some of them and four of those.”

A silent auction also became an addition followed by the food and the rest of the events that make Christmas in the City what it is today, an event that pulls many of the same faces that came to those early events, along with the extra depth of generations.

“It’s been amazing to see the community bring their children and see their kids thoroughly enjoy it,” Lewis said. “It’s been interesting to watch how the community looks forward to the bake sale.”

The event requires plenty of work with the addition of each new event as staff, board members and volunteers spend countless hours getting the word out for the event and preparing for it. That work doesn’t remain confined to Austin as the MCHS also works to expand the word of the event to the county and wider area as well.

“Christmas in the County has now made a name for itself,” Lewis said. “It’s a fun time for families.”

At the same time, the event has had to cope with the weather itself. While a good snow only adds to the holiday celebration of the event, there have been years when its made things challenging, like the year ice prevented the horse-drawn carriage rides or even snow storms that have ironically proved to be a hurdle for Christmas in the County.

Still, it hasn’t taken away from how fun the event is for everybody involved and for those behind Christmas in the County, they get the special enjoyment of families growing throughout the years.

“You watch them grow up and they are coming now with their own kids,” Doocy said.

There’ s even another facet to the event and that’s to draw attention to the Historical Society itself and to get people to appreciate the role the MCHS plays in the community and the county.

That includes the younger families, which Lewis said is an important step — the necessity to introduce them to the history of their home. That also extends to the diverse community throughout the area, who the MCHS has seen more and more of at Christmas in the County.

“I would like to see this as a place where our Hispanic people and Somalia people come to,” Lewis said. “The minority groups come here and enjoy it. It’s going to be their history too. I see this Christmas in the County growing.”

A true testament to Christmas in the County’s success is the feeling that the event has been here longer than it really has. Pardoning the pun, there is a history to Christmas in the County that has helped established it. Christmas in the County feels like it’s been here for over 20 years, not under 20 years.

“I never dreamed that we would be where we are today and I guess for me, it’s a dream come true,” Lewis said.

“It’s fun to watch it,” Doocy added. “Kids get off the wagon rides or sleigh rides and some of them turn around and get back on it again.”