Main Street Mingle to feature new look on Nov. 23

The Lovell Main Street Mingle Christmas kickoff celebration will feature an exciting new look this year as the annual event moves from the fire hall to numerous stores and businesses downtown, Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce office manager Linda Morrison announced this week.

Scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23, this year’s Mingle will carry the theme “A Whoville Christmas” based on the popular Christmas book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss. The event is sponsored annually by the Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce.

The idea for this year’s Mingle is to move the event out of the Lovell Fire Hall, where it has been held for many years, and into a number of participating businesses so that they may experience greater traffic flow and visibility, Morrison said.

“Our community has a lot to offer for Christmas shopping,” Morrison said. “Syd (Sydney Beal of the Shoppe Unique) said the other day that people may not shop here for the major things, but a lot of little things are available to make Christmas special from our local businesses.”

Though she said she is being credited for coming up with the idea of spreading the Mingle to businesses throughout town, Morrison said it was actually “the girls” at Big Horn Federal – her daughter Natalie Wambeke and co-workers – who said, “Hey, what about this?” They came up with the idea of moving games, crafts, activities and refreshments out of the fire hall and into the stores to make the Mingle more fun and help the business community, Morrison said.

“Look what a suggestion can do,” she said. “One suggestion has changed the whole outlook (of the Mingle). It wasn’t me. You take an idea and go with it. That’s really what a community should do. 

“When we’re all working together, that’s where success comes. That’s my idea for the chamber. Shopping at home is not only convenient, it’s supporting your friends in our community.”

Morrison said she has always believed that stores in north Big Horn County have a lot to offer shoppers if they only knew what was available.

“That’s why we’re doing this,” she said. “People don’t know what’s in our stores. We want people (during the Mingle) to come in and look around while you’re having activities with the kids and see what they (stores) have.

“These are the businesses that support your kids in athletics and other activities. Why wouldn’t you want to support them?”

There will be no activities in the fire hall this year, Morrison said. Instead, the traditional activities and some extra ones will be spread throughout the business community.

“We want people to come down and eat, too (at local restaurants), and enjoy the activities,” she said. “There will be an activity in every participating store. And besides that, the town is going to be decorated to the hilt.”

She said Ana Baird and Janelle Workman are available to paint store windows in the weeks prior to the holidays.

The big day

The Main Street Mingle on Nov. 23 will begin with the Dauntless Dash fun run at 8:30 a.m., sponsored by Club Dauntless. The free movie “The Grinch” will play at the Hyart Theatre at 11:30 a.m., ending about 1 p.m.

As the movie ends, firemen will take Santa Claus down Main Street on a fire truck, hoping to avoid the dastardly Grinch along the way. Santa will then take his place at Big Horn Federal for “what I want for Christmas” wishes and family photos from 1:30 to 4 p.m. A representative of the North Big Horn Hospital Share A Stocking program will also be present at Big Horn Federal, Morrison said.

Details are still being worked out, but a variety of Whoville activities will be featured in the various businesses from 1 to 4:30 p.m. including games, a candy cane lane, a petting zoo, special hair color, kid tattoos, contests, face painting, photo cutouts of Whoville characters, crafts, balloon animals, ornaments, cookies and punch and soup.

Santa will make his way to the downtown mural park by 4:45 p.m. and will light the community Christmas tree with his magic fairy dust, after which there will be a drawing for hundreds of dollars in chamber bucks that can be used at any chamber of commerce member business. There will be a second drawing held on Saturday, Nov. 30 – Small Business Saturday.

Hot chocolate will be served at the park, as well, and Morrison is hoping to arrange for singers to perform carols.

The Lovell Bible Church will present a live nativity from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and some businesses will offer late night shopping from 5 to 7 p.m., Morrison said.

For more information, call the chamber at 548-7552. Morrison said it has been many years since she’s seen this much excitement for the Main Street Mingle.

By David Peck