2013 Holiday Stroll Strolls Past Obstacles into Holiday Fun!

 This year's Holiday Stroll was a real testament to the popularity of the event. The event had to overcome both some severe weather and an erroneous message regarding the event being cancelled, but did so handily and delivered a night of great fun. 
 The event seems to grow every year, and this year was no different. Easily more than 40 merchants were involved this year...and it's a good thing as people needed places to seek shelter from the cold as they strolled Main Street...having so many open doors provided a nice place to warm up while browsing  the district's curios and/or grabbing a bite to eat. 
 Some of the great activities this year included a reenactment of the inauguration speech of Woonsocket's first mayor by an actor in full character at the Museum of Work and Culture, choirs at both Le Moulin and the Liberty Building, food specials at Bachata Tequila, Chan's, Tandoori, Vintage, River Falls, Thai Garden, and Aly's Pub, an open practice demonstration by Showcase Pro Wrestling, pictures with Rudolph by Deeply Kneaded, a Holiday Party at Riverzedge, and plenty more. Timeless antiques, The Shops at Le Moulin and Craft Skateboards and BMX had great gift items and helped many a shopper check off some names from their list. 
 This year introduced an information booth which provided maps, raffle tickets, and general information. I personally volunteered for the booth and can tell you it was a popular feature. The booth was situated next to Santa's House which had a line the entire time...just like Bobo the Clown. Bobo fascinated children with his skills for hours and still had people lined up an hour after the event officially ended!! He's always popular though, which anyone who's been to Denny's on a Tuesday night can attest to. Speaking of packed, Le Moulin was absolutely jammed (See Pictures)...and why not? They have great shops, most of which deliver hand made, beautiful items, as well as some great entertainment from the Good Shepherd Choir. Anyone looking for stylish knit products (Hats, gloves, scarves etc), a hip Christmas ornament, or unique jewelry should definitely make Le Moulin a regular stop.
 Of course, there'll be plenty of people this year who'll be doing just that, as well as visiting other places, after the quality of products they won on this year's Stroll Raffle. There were over 50 items raffled off with some fine examples of the wares available in our beautiful downtown. 
 I couldn't be happier with the way Woonsocket's Holiday Stroll is growing and improving. The event was started up 5 years ago as a way to allow Woonsocket to celebrate the Holidays and enjoy their downtown and I'm glad to see it becoming a tradition among more and more families. I look forward to it every year and can't wait to see what the future brings! 
 Happy Holidays Woonsocket and may the pride and cheer last all year!

By the way...here's a link to another article about The Stroll if you want to read more: 
http://woonsocket.patch.com/groups/holidays/p/holiday-stroll-delivers-smiles-fun