Ozark Christmas

Christmas comes to historic downtown Rogers, Ark., on Monday, Dec. 4, when the 22nd Annual Rogers Community Christmas Parade lights up the streets.

Twenty-three buildings in downtown Rogers are listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the J. E. Applegate building, a 1905 apothecary, which today is Poor Richard's Gifts & Confectionery; the W.B. Felker building, opened as Bank of Rogers in 1905 and now the Daisy Airgun Museum; and the Victory Theater, dating to 1927 and now home of the Rogers Little Theater

With the theme, "An Ozark Christmas in Historic Downtown," the parade offers prizes in four categories. The Spectacular Sparkles Award is for particularly illuminating entries. The Elfin Magic Award honors entries with kids involved; Glory of Angels Award goes to a religious-themed entry; and the Knock Your Stockings Off Award goes to the top float depicting the parade's theme. Main Street Rogers also presents a prize to merchants who participate in the window decorating contest.

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus set up shop in the city's Centennial Park for the three weekends preceding Christmas. And kids can send letters to Santa by dropping their note in the park's special delivery mailbox. Later, they may see their letters displayed in the windows of downtown merchants.

Main Street Rogers, the sponsoring organization for the Christmas events, seems to well understand its role, proclaimed on the Web site home page: "Preserving Our Roots Through Economic Success."

Rogers, a town of nearly 39,000, sits in the northwest corner of Arkansas.