Holiday favorite Santa Claus Crawl back on Dec. 4
By Sherry Lucas
Last year’s Santa Claus Crawl drew a record number of shoppers to Olde Towne. Tickets for the event are currently on sale.
Holiday spirit dashes into Olde Towne in Clinton Thursday, December 4, with the 13th outing of the Santa Claus Crawl and all its jolly shopping pleasures.
“Who says thirteen is unlucky?” Main Street Clinton Assistant Director Ashley Hammack said. “The 13th annual Santa Claus Crawl is almost here, and the only thing you’ll need to fear is missing out!”
“It’s a great start to such a festive month, so people really enjoy getting together with friends and getting into the Christmas spirit,” Hammack said. The late-night shopping opportunity brings a prime chance to drop in on Olde Towne businesses, shop local and snap up unique gifts.
Businesses participating this year include Meme’s Brick Street Bakery, Potter & Clay Studios, Wyatt Waters Gallery, Lovely, The Vault Salon, The Peppy Peddler, The Cupboard Gifts, Jillian’s Salon & Boutique, Coach’s Creamery, Catering by Cathy, Family Social Club, The Bank by Pizza Shack and The Black Swan.
Tickets for the 5:30 to 9 p.m. event are $35 in advance and $40 on event day. Organizers expect about ten participating businesses to hop onboard for the merriment, as more than one hundred shoppers typically turn out.
Last year’s Santa Claus Crawl hit a record with 140 tickets sold.
“With the event growing each year, we’ve decided to move the afterparty from the Olde Towne Depot to Olde Towne Venue at the corner of Leake and Jefferson streets,” Hammack said.
“This will give ticket holders plenty of room to move around as they enjoy delicious food and photo ops.”
The Santa Claus Crawl is open to all ages, but particularly appeals to girlfriends giddy about a festive night out, as well as couples who want to explore all that Olde Towne has to offer.
“It’s primarily geared toward adults who love a good laugh, great company and a warm mug of cider,” Hammack said.
And, that’s where it gets competitive, too. Each participating business will have its own specialty cider available to taste throughout the evening, and Santa Claus Crawl ticket holders have a chance to vote for their favorite.
Santa Claus Crawlers also have a shot at door prizes as they make their way from business to business at the event. Just answer a Christmas trivia question at each stop to be entered to win door prizes from each place.
From 8 until 9 p.m., ticket holders can join the afterparty fun at Olde Towne Venue for heavy hors d’oeuvres from Olde Towne and Clinton Boulevard restaurants, door prize drawings and, for the first time, a cash bar.
The mix of shoppers includes both die-hard Santa Claus Crawl fans and newcomers to the fun. When Main Street Clinton pre-sold Crawl tickets at their Christmas-in-July-themed Fresh at Five market last summer, the first person to buy a ticket was a consistent Crawl veteran.
“She had no hesitation buying so far in advance, because she knew her crew was ready!” Hammack said.
“We’ve seen several new faces in the past few years, which is always great. And it’s even better to see them for the first time at Santa Claus Crawl, then see them again at Dinner and a Movie, Olde Towne Markets, etc.”
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.MainStreetClintonMS.com.
