26th Annual Christmas in the Park

This year JA is pleased to have so many of the businesses downtown who were eager to get involved with this event. Magness Library will be having story telling, there will be a live nativity scene provided by Covenant Fellowship Church, lots of musical entertainment, the ever popular Telephone to Santa's Elves, Bounce Houses, Et Cetera will be providing a craft this year for the children, the Hot Dog man will be downtown providing delicious food for everyone, many of the downtown business will be open and offering free coffee, hot chocolate, or other beverages, along with Pioneer Pediatrics inviting everyone to come and have their picture made with Santa! This will be an event you don't want to miss! Bundle up and come join us for a night of fun, Tuesday, December 6th at 5:45pm!

Lacey Jones says, "This is one of my favorite events we do. This event, to me, signifies to the importance of coming together, celebrating the child in all our hearts, enhancing the lives of children in our community, while teaching my child this season is not just about presents, but about giving and doing so with a willing heart."

Christmas Luminaries On Sale Until December 1st!!!

Junior Auxiliary Members are currently selling Christmas Luminaries to be on display at Christmas in the Park. Luminaries are $10/piece. Please see any JA Member to purchase!

Christmas in the Park 2010

Christmas in the Park is tomorrow night! We hope to see you out there. Here are the event details.

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

6pm until 8pm

Downtown McMinnville

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Order of Events

National Anthem by Diana Pelham

Posting of the Colors by the American Legion Post 173 Honor Guard.

Third Annual Luminaries Ceremony

Dance performance by the WCHS Pioneerettes

Musical entertainment by Jodi McAbee

Dance performance by Paula's Dance Academy Pee Wee, Youth and Junior teams

Musical entertainment by Covenant Academy Children's Choir

Cheer/Dance performance by Warren County Pee Wee All Stars

Musical performance by the First Baptist Church Choir

Musical performance by Diana Pelham

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Downtown Activities

Live Nativity - Covenant Fellowship Church

Inflatable Bounce Houses - Homeland Community Bank and Security Federal Savings Bank

Phone Calls to the North Pole - Ben Lomand Telephone

Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus - Magness Library

Taking donations of non-perishable food items - Girl Scouts of Warren County

Children's activities at the Chamber of Commerce - Pioneer Pediatrics

And shop/visit the many Downtown businesses that will be open during the event!

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Be sure to have a bite to eat while you're there...

City Cafe

The Hot Dog Man

Main Street Bakery and Cafe

New York Grill

Noon Exchange Club Booth

The Sweet Shop

The Famous Junior Auxiliary Cider House (at Regions Bank)

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And most importantly...

Dress for the weather! It's going to be a cold night! But we'll have lots of great food, great entertainment, great fun...as well as some hot cider, wood-burning stoves and opportunities for the kids to run around, be active and stay warm!

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Thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible!

Christmas in the Park

The date for our 24th annual Christmas in the Park has been set.

Join us in beautiful Downtown McMinnville on Tuesday December 1st for a night of caroling, cider, games, fun and other Christmas treats - all with friends, family and the ladies of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

Stay tuned to the blog for more news about this wonderful community tradition.

Christmas Luminaries

It’s that time of year again! Christmas is just around the corner and we’re in the process of planning Christmas in the Park. Last year, as a separate project, we began selling luminaries in the weeks building up to Christmas in the Park to decorate downtown during the event.

We’ve already begun selling the luminaries to decorate at this year’s Christmas in the Park and we’re really excited about the potential to raise lots of funds to help meet the needs of the children in Warren County!

Here’s what you need to know:

· Luminaries are $5 each – or more if a donor feels so inclined.

· Each member is encouraged to sell at least 20 luminaries.

• The deadline to turn in names is the November General Meeting on November 17^th.
  

· Contact your family members, friends, fellow church members, boss, children’s teachers & coaches, coworkers, in-laws, hairdresser….you get the picture!

· We’re selling luminaries in memory of and in honor of …for anyone that they want to buy a luminary (or several!) for.

· Businesses can also purchase luminaries in honor of their employees or just with the name of the business on them.

· We’re also focusing this year on selling luminaries in honor and memory of our local veterans and also for those currently serving our country. We will have a special section for these luminaries.

· Emails have been sent out with notes, sales sheets and receipts.

· If you have any questions feel free to contact Project Chair Ashley Wright at (931) 607-6599 or jamcminnville@yahoo.com.

For the Public:

Contact your favorite Junior Auxiliary member or Ashley Wright if you’re reading this and would like to purchase a luminary (or several!).

All donations to Junior Auxiliary are tax-deductible (receipts are available).

Christmas in the Park 2008 Memories

Our 23rd annual Christmas in the Park was a big success. It's such a great opportunity for the entire community to come together for a free night of family fun...and there were a lot of people out to enjoy the night!

We began the evening with a welcome from President Natalie Miller and a mini-ceremony honoring some of the kids from our "Healthy Children, Healthy Futures" project (Lauren Patterson, Jackson Dunlap, Morgan Mingle and Andy Dunn were there....our prayers are with Presley Slatton who could not attend).

Then the luminaries were lit all around the stage and the names on them were read. A big THANK YOU goes out to Miss Sheila Boyd who organized the whole luminaries project...great job Sheila!

In addition to Santa Claus, there were several other Christmas characters in attendance...they provided lots of photo opportunities and handed out candy to the kids! Thanks to member M.A. Higgs and her family for helping us out with that!

After having their picture taken with Santa Claus - kids were able to go and make frames to display them in. Junior Auxiliary members were on hand to help with this craft.

Facepainting is always a favorite for the kids and there was a line wrapped around the Regions building for most of the evening! Even without white paint (oops!) our "artists" for the evening made all of the kids happy with snowmen, crosses, Christmas trees, snowflakes and other Christmas-y things!

In addition to the Cider House, craft table and facepainting...Regions Bank provided a warm oasis out of the cold for many attendees!

The Cider House is a favorite tradition for Christmas in the Park and every year it is ran by the year's provisional members. The girls did a great job this year giving out cookies and smiles and keeping the cider flowing!

Choirs from churches and schools from all around the community as well as a few musicians and singers performed from the stage...Christmas carols and music filled the air! Thanks to everyone who provided their talents for the evening!

Here are members Brooke Totherow and Randi Fuston taking a quick hot chocolate break in between acts on the stage...

A group from Covenant Fellowship Church provided a living nativity scene to remind everyone the real reason for the season! Thanks Covenant!

This was our first year to not use Polaroid film for the free Santa Pictures...we used memory cards and color photo printers to get the photos out this year! It was hard work but the pictures turned out so great!

Thanks to everyone who came out! Thanks also to our sponsors for the event...all of the support really makes the night special!

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Christmas in the Park 2008

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm tellin' you why...Santa Claus is comin' to town!

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Yup, Santa is coming to McMinnville TONIGHT for our 23rd annual Christmas in the Park!

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He'll be there right around 6 pm to help us light the Downtown Christmas Tree, then he'll set up shop to visit with all of the children, to find out if they've been naughty or nice, and to double check what everyone wants under the tree this year!

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Santa will also be posing for pictures with the kiddies and J.A. will be providing free prints of the pictures for everyone!

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Santa will be bringing Mrs. Claus and some of his elves along with him to the event so there will be no shortage of fun and photo opportunities for everyone!

So, come see us tonight in beautiful downtown McMinnville for a night of FREE fun for the entire family!

Click here for more information.

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MEMBERS DON'T FORGET: Bring 3 or 4 dozen cookies to Jessica for the Cider House. See the Chapter Reminders to the left for details.

Christmas in the Park - December 2nd

Come out and see us at Christmas in the Park. It's shaping up to be a really exciting event with several new activities planned to go along with the classic favorites!

Show up a little early to see the first ever Christmas in the Park Luminary Lighting Ceremony..I think it will end up being a new tradition for our community!

Stephanie Ward, our Coats for the Community chairperson, is planning to set up a coat giveaway booth during the event. We think this will be a good opportunity for folks that didn't make it out to the mall in October who need coats now that it has gotten colder outside.

Christmas Luminaries

A Note From Sheila:

Ladies,

I'd just like to remind everyone about the Christmas Luminaries project and to encourage you all to get out there and sell them! Thank you in advance for all your hard work. I am so sorry that I wasn't able to attend October's Provisional Social due to sickness. I look forward to meeting each of our new Provisional Members soon...you're all welcome and encouraged to participate in this fundraiser!

With this project, we have the potential to raise lots of funds to help meet the needs of the children in our community that we help! And won't the luminaries look beautiful decorating downtown during Christmas in the Park?

Here are a few reminders:

• If you were not at the General Meeting in October you need to contact me to hear more about the project and pick up your Fundraising Packet ASAP (extra packets are located at Ashley's Attic in the Plaza Shopping Center).
  
• Don't forget to mark your calendars, the deadline to turn in names and money for this Fundraiser is Tuesday November 18 at our General Meeting. Please continue to work hard; it's only little over 3 weeks away.
  
• Please remember that Ashley Gillentine (co-chair of this project) and I will be contacting the businesses in the town to purchase Luminaries. We did this because we want to avoid any cross-overs where multiple members contact a single business. However, your help is welcome with selling to businesses and if you have a close connection with a local business and would like to sell to them please call me and let me know so that they will not be contacted twice!
  
• I'd like for everyone to set a goal of how many luminaries that you would like to sell and then GO FOR IT! As an incentive to sell, sell, sell...I have gotten together a little prize basket that contains some treats from several Junior Auxiliary members' businesses! The top seller in this project will be awarded the prize basket at the Christmas Party in December. This is just a little incentive to help all of us meet and exceed our goals for this fundraiser!

As always, I am here for you if you have any questions. Please feel free to call me with questions or suggestions! You may email me your up-to-date sales if you would like and and I will send out totals next week.

Have a great week and thank you all so much!

: ) Sheila Boyd

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