BY GAVIN ZEINER

Wadsworth’s annual Holiday Magic on Main Street, formally known as The Candlelight Walk, will be held on two separate nights this year, instead of the usual one night or eight nights in 2020. Holiday activities such as the horse-drawn carriage ride will be available on both nights, November 19 and December 3. 

“The event has always been the week before Thanksgiving to kick off the shopping season because that’s when merchants really start promoting the holiday shopping season,” said Adrianne Patrick, the Executive Director of Main Street Wadsworth.

The name changed from The Candlelight Walk to Holiday Magic on Main Street to put a new twist on an old Wadsworth tradition and to take the tradition to the next level. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has occurred, the event itself has changed, as well. The new way of Holiday Magic on Main Street provides two days for the community to attend the event instead of just one, making it an event that occurs multiple times during the holiday season rather than just being one big event.

“We thought many smaller events would be safer than having one giant event and it would also give people opportunities to come downtown and support the downtown businesses, which are really the reason we are here,” Patrick said. 

Even though certain things about the event may have changed, the purpose and magic of the event  has not. 

“It’s the same kind of format that you have seen in the past Candlelight Walks and last year’s Holiday Magic on Main Street, which means that all of the downtown businesses are going to be open, which is about a dozen restaurants and about a dozen retailers,” Patrick said.

During this year’s Holiday Magic there will be lights illuminating  and decorations strung over the buildings and on the store windows of downtown Wadsworth in order to give a Norman small town Christmas experience. While being able to walk around downtown to enjoy the lights and accommodations, there will be horse -drawn carriage rides around town given for free in order to enhance the Christmas feel. There will also be opportunities to go shopping around town and to grab a hot beverage and enjoy the Christmas cheer.

Since the event is no longer called the Candlelight Walk, whether or not the luminaries will still be incorporated into the event comes into question. 

“The luminaries have always been a part of the event and they will always be a part of the event,” Patrick said. The luminaries were used last year and we will continue using luminaries this year.” 

The Holiday Magic on Main Street will take place on November 19 and December 3 which both will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.