A HEAD START — Many area residents took advantage of the head start in preparing for the holiday season offered by the Follansbee Christmas in the Park festival this weekend. About 70 vendors sold Christmas and other decorations, hand-made items that could be given as gifts and food during the two-day event at Follansbee Park. -- Warren Scott

FOLLANSBEE — With cooler weather just now arriving, it might be difficult to believe there are just 72 days until Christmas.

And the Follansbee Christmas in the Park festival offered many area residents an opportunity to prepare or simply enjoy the crisp fall air and sounds and sights of Christmas while browsing through about 70 vendors set up at Follansbee Park.

Children from Jefferson Intermediate School and volunteers with the event’s planning committee decorated the park with banners, lights and other holiday decorations, while a disc jockey played Christmas music from various eras.

Santa Claus also paid the city an early visit, meeting with children in the park’s gazebo.

Adding to the holiday theme were several life-size nutcrackers from Steubenville’s Nutcracker Village, which were on loan from the Nelson family, who are behind the annual attraction, and displayed in the Follansbee Community House.

SPECIAL GUEST — Santa Claus made an early visit to Follansbee this weekend, appearing during Follansbee Christmas in the Park, a two-day festival that offered a variety of Christmas and fall decorations, hand-made items and food for sale at Follansbee Park, which was decorated for the occasion. -- Warren Scott

Among the assorted merchandise for sale were outdoor and indoor Christmas and fall decorations, clothing and hand-made items that could be given as gifts and a variety of hot food and baked goods.

Proceeds from vendor fees and drawings held during the two-day event will go to the Follansbee R.E.A.C.H. Program, a local food pantry, and children with special medical needs.

The festival also has offered many nonprofit groups an opportunity to raise funds.

Among them were leaders and members of Scout Pack 34 of Weirton, who were selling several varieties of popcorn.

Julie Pendleton and her son and Cub Scout, Kenny, were among those staffing the booth.

She said the festival “really helps with all of the adventures they do. Next month they are doing a sleepover at the Pittsburgh Zoo. The kids are really excited about it.”

Pendleton noted the pack, which meets each Monday at St. Paul’s School, participates in a variety of excursions and day camps.

It’s the first year for the Pendletons to participate in the festival, of which she said, “It seems like a very nice community event. Perfect for the Scouts.”

Members of Follansbee American Legion Post 45 were selling chances in a Chinese auction and for a drawing for a Henry Mag 44 lever action rifle to be held later this month.

Dee Taylor, financial officer for the post, said proceeds will go to efforts to build a new headquarters for the post at the site of the present building, which was closed this summer after its roof collapsed.

The accident occurred following a severe storm on April 29, but Taylor and others with the post have expressed strong determination to recover from it.

“This is just a small setback. We are all about our veterans and their families,” she said.

Noting the post offered a place for veterans to talk with each other, Taylor said, “The place is like a family dinner table and not being able to sit down with your family — we need our home back.”

The post also is preparing for a quarter auction on Nov. 16 at the Wellsburg Elks Lodge, with details to be announced, while accepting donations made to Follansbee American Legion Post 45 and sent to 998 Main St.

Members of Follansbee Church of the Nazarene were among local congregations selling food and other items, and they held a worship service open to everyone within the Follansbee Lions Shelter on Sunday morning.

The church also invited attendees to paint Christmas ornaments they could take home with them.

“This is our first time coming,” said Ashley Hines of Steubenville, who joined her children, Aubree and Jaxon, in the activity.

“I think it’s really fun for families,” said Aubrey.

Jaxon said he enjoyed looking at the many things made and sold by a local woodworker.

Among the more unusual offerings by vendors was pepper butter made and sold by Gary Snider.

“It’s an old recipe from the 1940s,” explained Snider, who revealed it includes banana peppers grown in his garden, vinegar, mustard and sugar and can be spread on crackers, hot dogs or pastrami sandwiches.

Snider said he moved to Follansbee a couple of years ago and has enjoyed coming to the park, which offers a peaceful place to read the Bible while his children swim in the city pool.