For most of us, Christmastime happens in December – period. However, for Pickerington Village Association’s Pam Good, Christmas is all year long. The planning for the Olde Village Holiday Gathering starts in the warm season and kicks off Dec. 6.
“We are always looking for new things that can be incorporated,” Good says. “This year’s event will include a lighted holiday stroll past holiday inflatables that line the street.”
It’s been a joy for the Pickerington Village Association to see the event grow over the years. Good can’t say enough about the positivity, joy and spirit it brings to the community.
“It just makes you smile,” she says. “We all know that holidays can be stressful, so if for one night everyone can just have fun and be a kid again, it makes it all worthwhile.”
Special (Flying?) Guests
Good isn’t the only one who thinks about Christmas practically all year long.
Kevin Kleer never imagined that his cattle ranch, Kleerview Farm in Bellville, would one day be full of Christmas trees and reindeer. He and his wife were dairy farmers for 24 years before selling off their cows and planting Christmas trees instead. And with prior experience with an animal farm, they thought, “What creature would perfect our holiday experience?”
Cue the reindeer.
“It took us a few years to find some,” Kleer says. “They’re really hard to find.”
After a long search for reindeer, he found two in Michigan and brought them down to the farm. They are thriving, living happily in the old cattle barn and enjoying visits from Christmas tree customers. Shortly after the purchase though, Kleer began to breed the reindeer and now he has a total of 11 that he brings to events – topping even old Saint Nick’s herd by two.
“They’re all named; we raise them like dogs,” Kleer says, laughing as a reindeer gives a loud cawhuff in the distance. “That’s what they’re like.”
Kleer will be attending the Old Village Holiday Gathering for his second year, reindeers in tow, of course. He loves seeing attendees light up when they see his herd, and notes that it’s not just kids who are dazzled.
“We have adults come up to us and ask, ‘What really are these animals?’ because they believe that reindeer are fictional animals,” he says. “It happens every year!”
There will be a single pen at the Old Village Holiday Gathering where attendees can get close and even pet the reindeer – like Kleer says, they oftentimes act like dogs, so they love attention. Think it can’t get any cuter? Kleer plans to bring baby reindeer.
“It’s really for everyone,” he says.
Bet Ya Didn’t Know
- Both male and female reindeers grow antlers.
- Their noses are well-adapted for cold weather – they warm the air the reindeers breathe before it hits their lungs.
- Reindeer are high maintenance: they’re not native to Ohio’s flora or fauna, so they’re susceptible to parasites and sickness.
- When reindeer antlers are growing, they are covered in velvet – similar in appearance to the material we wear, but otherwise quite different. This protects their antlers until they’re ready to shed them off.
- They like to eat herbs, ferns, mosses, grasses, shoots, fungi and leaves. You can still leave carrots out on Christmas Eve – they’re like candy for reindeer!
- While only Santa’s reindeer can fly, all can run up to 50 miles per hour.
Mallory Arnold is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
