Menu
Live reindeer, antique sleigh will illuminate this weekend's holiday open house in Sikeston
SIKESTON — For Jason Davis, director of Historic Downtown Sikeston, this weekend’s holiday open house will be one of a memorable nature.
The open house is set for Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9.
This year, live reindeer and an antique sleigh will serve as integral parts of the festivities and will be available for youngsters from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Legion Park.
“Our merchants, when we met earlier in the fall, were just thinking of ideas to make downtown an attraction, to bring people downtown. And one of the things mentioned was live reindeer,” said Davis, who has worked for the downtown district since January 2020. “They were willing to do whatever they could to make that happen, so they ponied up the money and made it where we could get the reindeer downtown for the open house.”
So, what is the going rate for a reindeer appearance fee?
“It is about $2,600 for three hours,” said Davis. “We typically have Santa, and he will be back again this year. Also, carriage rides will be back again. That has been a normal part of the event, but we have been looking to add different things to it to continue to grow the event and make it a special night for people when they come downtown.”
For at least the past 10-plus-years the event has been a mainstay in the community, an event that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“I wouldn’t even be able guess,” Davis said of the event’s duration. “It happened long before I was here, [and] I know it is at least 10 or 11 years.”
Keeping the local economy thriving is of the utmost importance, and events like the open house not only gets local shoppers and entertainment seekers downtown, but it brings in business from area communities, from gas stations to sole proprietors.
“Our downtown merchants are all small business owners,” Davis said. “And what this event does — and I think a lot of people may not realize — is these owners are thinking about their bottom line [and] how the year is going to end, and they are thinking about the holiday season long before we get into November.”
The logistics are nearly yearlong — with the open house serving as the culmination of the countless hours spent behind the scenes.
“They are planning, trying to provide for their families throughout the year,” Davis said. “The holiday season is a major part of that. What we do with the holiday open house is try to get local, small businesses out in front of the big box stores and people can shop local before being drawn into the big [holiday] sales, like Black Friday.”
Surrounding towns will have holiday open houses this weekend and in the coming weeks, too. New Madrid’s Christmas Open House is set for Nov. 8-9 at the Mill Street Community Building, and various merchants will offer specials throughout the weekend. The Portageville Chamber of Commerce is again hosting “Christmas in the Ville” which will be Nov. 9 and 10. East Prairie merchants are planning their holiday open house Nov. 16-17.