Making Christmas ornaments while listening to festive holiday music. Fun games for adults and kids alike. Photo ops with beautiful Clydesdale horses.
These are just a few of the many activities that are included in the Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration, which is hosted by the USA Clydesdale Preservation Foundation.
The event will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2-3 and Dec. 9-10 at 17208 E. Saragosa St. in Gilbert. Tickets are $15 and pre-registration is required.
Rebecca Stivers, USACPF Director, says the nonprofit organization has hosted the annual Christmas event for eight years.
“Each year we add new and fun activities for the youth while retaining all the traditional Christmas activities,” she says, adding that the event will feature "Santa Why Can’t I Fly?", a new Christmas puppet show for kids. “There will also be Christmas sweets, hot chocolate, apple cider, and coffee served during the entire event at no charge. We have a silent auction, and many traditional activities like writing letters to Santa, making Christmas ornaments, Christmas music, and coloring Christmas pictures.”
Christmas music will play in the background, a Christmas movie will be shown in the arena, Christmas Game Land will include traditional games for all ages, and Mrs. Claus will read “The Night Before Christmas” to the children.
“Individual and family photos can be taken with the Clydesdales. There are also opportunities to spend time with the Clydesdales individually,” she says.
Stivers says the USA Clydesdale Preservation Foundation began in 2012 in Gilbert.
“Our responsibility as a 501c3 is to provide hands-on experiences with the Clydesdales for the public and provide educational opportunities about the Clydesdales at all events,” she says, adding that there are always four to six Clydesdales housed at the barn.
“We also provide riding demonstrations at Western Pleasure and barrel racing. This is extremely important as they have been viewed in our history as just working draft horses. We also provide educational opportunities at schools and at our facility.”
Stivers says she is looking forward to the event, which offers plenty of traditional Christmas fun for people of all ages.
“We have visitors here at the Clydesdale foundation that haven’t missed a year. Of course, the Clydesdales keep bringing them back,” she says.
For more information or to register, call 602.803.4051 or visit SaveTheClydes.org.
