By Brody Lovell
On a chilly Friday night, Santa made a spectacular arrival in Cedar Falls, just in time before the predicted snow storm. The 17th annual Holiday Hoopla kickoff at the River Place Plaza downtown drew around 500 community members, with performances by many local artists and appearances by Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, and, of course, Santa himself.
Events started around 5:30 p.m. with holiday classics playing as kids lined up to see Mrs. Claus in Santa’s Workshop. Sneaking around the event was the Grinch.
Walking towards the event, people could see the decorated windows of local restaurants and businesses fitted with a Christmas theme. The Other Place, the Horny Toad, and the Nook were just some of the many participants of this yearly holiday tradition.
Live music for the event began at 6 p.m. with the return of the Holiday Hoopla band, followed by multiple performances from singers such as Beauty and the Beat, Ann Freena, Samantha Pierce, Reagan Knapp, Addie Buke, and others. Dancing performances included three from Fusion Performing Arts, and holiday mascots featured at the event included Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, Alvin and the Chipmunks, a Christmas Minion, and Olaf from Frozen. A Christmas hype video featuring many of the event’s characters was created by UNI student Ryder Bates and played before Santa’s arrival.
“This is my first time at Holiday Hoopla,” Bates said, “I was reached out by the organizers to create (the video) and came to see what kind of event they put on, and it’s pretty cool.”
Bates’ video featured Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Buddy the Elf, and others dancing through a field of pine trees as they celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season.
Another couple, Chris and Deb, have been going to Holiday Hoopla for years, looking forward to using the event as a time to make memories with Deb’s granddaughter.
“She absolutely loves it every time we come.” Deb said. “We are consistently impressed with the event the city of Cedar Falls puts on down here.
Once the performances concluded, the big reveal of how Santa Claus would arrive this year came. In the past, Santa has been introduced at the event in several ways, ranging from a boat to a jetpack to a rocket-fueled sleigh, and even by rappelling down the side of a building. The crowd gathered outside Urban Pie and Second Street Brewing as the snow began to fall to see how Santa Claus would kick off this Holiday Season.
The crowd then walked with Santa down Second Street to Main, eventually leading to the river, where fireworks brought an end to a night of Christmas cheer and began another holiday season for Cedar Falls.
Cedar Falls’ Holiday Hoopla continues next Thursday, Dec. 4, with Jingle and Mingle on Main. There Santa will be at his workshop to chat with kids and free trolly rides will be provided downtown. Festivities will continue the whole month of December.
