Gainesville’s Wonders of Christmas festival and parade will be held Dec. 10


Times file photo / Abby Milligan Mr. and Mrs. Claus, pictured here during the 2020 Wonders of Christmas event and parade, will be at the event again this year on Dec. 10 to visit with children. Parents should bring a camera or cell phone to take their own photos.

Gainesville’s “Wonders of Christmas” event will be held Friday evening, Dec. 10, on the square.

Craft, food or game vendors are welcome to set up on the square free of charge. Booths can operate from 5 p.m. until the end of the festival. To sign up or to request more information about booths, contact Allisa West at 417-543-0407.

The event will feature a Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas pageant, open to 4- and 5- year-olds, on the stage at 6 p.m. To register a child for the contest, call Kerrie Zubrod at Century Bank, 417-679-3321, no later than Dec. 6.

The Jingle Bell Parade steps off at 7 p.m. Organizer Paula Rose encourages individuals, businesses, churches and school groups to join the fun with a decorated float, truck, tractor or any other festively decorated option. Those participating are asked to line up on Second Street behind Town & Country Supermarket by 6 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winning entries: $150 for grand prize, $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place. Another category, best lighted vehicle, offers the winner a $50 award. To sign up to participate in the parade, call Rose at 417-989-1282.

After the parade, the Christmas tree in the gazebo will be lit, and children may visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Parents and guardians are encouraged to bring their own camera to take photos.

Organizers say the festival is in need of donations for prizes for floats, bands, signs, banners and other items. To donate, make checks payable to the Ozark County Christmas Committee Account and deliver it to any Century Bank of the Ozarks location or mail it to the bank at P.O. Box 68, Gainesville, MO 65655. 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423