WAPAKONETA (WLIO) - Children's Hometown Holiday in Wapakoneta held a "Christmas in July" holiday fundraiser.

The Children’s Hometown Holiday wrapped up the weekend full of activities with their annual Breakfast with Santa.  The Wapakoneta Knights of Columbus has been hosting the free breakfast for around five years and they serve between 600 and 700 people.  Kids were able to sit and talk to Santa, get their pictures taken with one of the characters that were walking around.  Plus, they could also take part in a coloring contest or get their face painted themselves.    Members of the Knights of Columbus are glad they could help event organizer Elaine Poppe make some holiday memories for some local kids.

Santa Claus was the grand finale of the Children’s Hometown Holiday parade that also brought nearly 75 different characters to the downtown area, like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Baby Shark, along with musicians, pageant royalty, and dancers.   After the parade, kids could get a present from Santa, go ice skating or for a pony ride, and try their luck at bumper cars and everything was free.   Organizers were expecting around 3000 people at the event.  Elaine Poppe started the Children's Hometown Holiday because she wanted to make sure that all kids had a great holiday memory and every year she hears from parents who want to give their own kids that same experience. 

On Friday, Wapakoneta begins their sixtieth annual Children's Hometown Holiday. There will be a parade, kids can meet Santa, reindeer to pet, outdoor ice skating, and more. For the first time this year, there will also be a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, as well as the return of the popular snowball drop event. It's a good opportunity for parents to get some Christmas shopping done, and take their kids out for some holiday-themed fun.

All the smiles on the faces of the people attending the Children’s Hometown Holiday can be attributed to the vision of Elaine Poppe. She has spent over15 years, ensuring the kids and their families have a wonderful Christmas memory in Wapakoneta. From getting a gift from Santa, to taking a spin on the ice-skating rink, enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride through downtown, or one of the dozens of activities over the three-day event, and all of it is free.