It may have been a little cold and wet on Saturday, but that did not stop the parade from barreling down Main Street of Italy Texas. There were elves, floats and even a special visit from a jolly old friend from the North Pole.

Seventeen crafters filled Italy’s new community center on Saturday during the Italy Christmas Festival. All kinds of needlework, homemade cookies and cakes, homemade tamales and crochet was for sale. Just in time for the holidays. Carollee Farnsworth was in charge of these vendors, “We set up last night and it worked out just fine. We have brand new crafters, mostly from Italy, and other vendors from Milford and Avalon.”

There was a children’s area set up to make crafts as well. If you wanted to decorate and eat a cookie, Joey Tovar, local baker, made sure that was possible too. The most exciting part was the photograph with Mr & Mrs Claus. A special photographer was set up to take frosty pictures with our friends from the north.

Along Main Street, vendors cooked bar-b-que, fried pickles and catfish. The City of Italy hosted a raffle with many donated prizes and gifts. Church choirs sang and beautiful music from local bands flowed in and out of the downtown buildings. The local crowds had a lots of fun—even in the drizzle.

All in all, the 4th Annual Christmas Festival and Parade was a success and there is anticipation for next year’s fun.

See additional pictures of the Christmas Festival