A dose of history and a cup of hot chocolate this weekend

Written by Don Arndt

First, it should really be called something like “Santa Claus Night” or “Free Rides Night” or possibly “Watch the Kids Smile Night” but it’s not. It’s called Hot Chocolate Night, and it all started because of one man and one event in 1985. A few weeks before Christmas in 1985, Frank Enos decorated his building that he had just completed construction on. He had built the leather shop right across the street from the recently restored Mt. Vernon School at Frontier Village. He had covered the shop with Christmas lights and turned them on Thanksgiving night. We had many comments about it due to the fact that it was visible from both 71 and 18 Highways. The next year a handful of us decided to “light” the old school and the newly constructed Lions Club building. The weather turned awful, it snowed and then the temperature fell to 15 degrees, so a trip was made to Thriftway store where Jim Yoss donated hot chocolate to the worthy cause.
That’s how it all started. Over the years there have been many changes from that first very cold hot chocolate night, but after a 23-year tradition, the event is still free to all comers. The kids (and grandmas and grandpas) have a range of things to do including train rides, lighted tram rides, several horse and buggy rides, old cars and kiddy barrel train. The Ladies Auxillary still bring in cookies, but now they each furnish three dozen, trying to meet demand. The ladies will go out to Yoss’s again this year, only now it’s Kip that will hand them the many boxes of donated hot chocolate - probably enough to serve 1000.
So bring your kids and enjoy the evening. Hot Chocolate Night is always the first Saturday night after Thanksgiving (November 29 this year), starting about dark. We turn on the lights for the first time each year on Thanksgiving evening.