Celebrating 5 Years: A Little Magic in the Air!

By Christopher Miller

Celebrating 5 years this year, the citizens of Farwell in western Clinton County have been preparing to celebrate what they have dubbed as A Little Magic in the Air.

Beginning in 2016, the event started as an idea and a wish. Cheryl Daubert, a then resident of the now locally iconic Central Avenue in Farwell was sick with cancer and it was thought to be her last year to see Christmas lights before being called home. Enter Margaret Riggle and Tanya Bratton, her employee.

Margaret Riggle, owner of the popular restaurant Pat Reeder’s Tavern and resident of Central Avenue was speaking with her employee, Tanya, one day about Cheryl and an idea was born: “why don’t we bring Christmas to Farwell?”

Another collaborator instrumental in the creation of A Little Magic in the Air was the late Deb Bauer, a member of the Bucktail High School Class of ’76 and neighbor of the late Cheryl Daubert.  She instrumental in the creation of the event to “bring Christmas to Cheryl”  and to make “Christmas on the Avenue” special for Cheryl.

“We decided to light up the Avenue,” Mary George Rhone said in an interview with The Record. “It has escalated every year since, and we have most of the residents on board now.” So much in fact, it seems, that a prerequisite for living on Central Avenue may be one’s participation in the now annual event, but that is just an assumption of the writer of this article.

Locally, it has become something of a light war, or a game, Mary explained. “It’s become a game between neighbors Travis Fantaskey and Devin DeMarte where each year they try to one-up the other with their challenge to decorate,” Mary explained. In fact, she described a story where Devin had a cherry picker brought in one year to be part of his display.

It was also explained to The Record that the Bucktail High School Class of 1976 has been instrumental in the creation of this event from the very beginning. “We were up for the challenge,” Mary explained. Mary, Margaret, and a few of their classmates typically volunteer to participate and dress-up as certain wintry characters each year.

Different for this year, in order to still hold the event for the safety for all involved, goodies for children, which are usually collected along the walking route will be distributed in a single bag at the end of the avenue. In the spirit of the season, the goodie bags will be hoisted into each car window by use of an abnormally large candy cane.

Santa Claus will be making a special appearance along the route waving to the children, and expressing his well wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season. Letters to Santa can be dropped in Santa’s Mailbox located in front of 940 Central Avenue in Farwell. If parents wish for a mailed reply from Santa himself, please also attach a self-addressed envelope with your child’s letter.

Below are the details for the event in order to keep all people, riders and participants, safe and healthy throughout:

• The formal “A Little Magic in the Air” event will be 1 day only on Saturday, December 12 from 6pm – 9pm.
• Please stay in your vehicle at all times to observe the Christmas lights.
• No “walkers” will be allowed to come down the avenue.
• Traffic directors will not let cars pass if you get out of your vehicle. Beth Whitty and other employees of Chapman Township have graciously volunteered their time to direct the flow of traffic down the avenue
• All traffic is to enter at the school entrance side to Central Avenue
• As a side note and after thought, if people do want to walk down the Avenue, they are asked to do so on a day other than December 12.

“We just really want everyone to keep it magical, and keep it safe for all involved,” Mary sincerely expressed.