Roasted chestnuts and an open fire were just a few of the many features offered at the city of East Lansing’s Winter Glow festival Saturday, and, as he watched the people around him, microbiology senior Kenji Shaltry said he could feel the holiday spirit.
“This is very seasonal,” he said. “With Christmas around the corner, it definitely puts people in the mood.”
The city of East Lansing, local businesses and residents teamed up to put on the city’s first Winter Glow event to celebrate the winter season. Students and families were encouraged to participate in the many events the festival offered, including the Jingle Jam Music Tent, marshmallow roasting, ice carving and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Community Events Assistant Michelle Carlson said Winter Glow was a revolution of Winter Bowl, a chili cook-off that grew too big and became too expensive.
“We decided to take the chili cook-off out and create something more family-friendly so people can come and explore the downtown area more,” she said.
Kevin Cosgrove, the owner and baker of Stone Circle Bakehouse, 3647 Willoughby Road in Holt, Mich., said as a participant in the local Farmer’s Market in warmer weather, he was surprised when the city of East Lansing asked him to be a part of a winter event.
“I giggled and giggled when they mentioned a December event,” he said.
“But there’s a lot of great people here, and the market is outstanding.”
As a business owner, Cosgrove said events that bring the community together, such as Winter Glow, give him a chance to mingle with local residents.
“It’s a great way to create relationships and meet the people and re-establish old relationships,” he said.
While visiting the festival, Stephanie Waidelich watched her son engage in a personal meet and greet with a reindeer in the festival’s petting zoo. The Dimondale, Mich., resident visited Winter Glow with her family and said her son loved meeting a few members of Santa’s team.
“It’s a really neat experience,” she said.
“There’s a lot to entertain both adults and children.”
At 5 p.m., luminaries, or plastic buckets with candles in them, were lit and placed on each block from Abbot Road to Collingwood Drive.
“We thought it would be a nice ending and fun thing to do for the downtown area to add ambience for people who were eating and shopping,” Carlson said.
As a member of the Community Relations Coalition, a program that aims to bridge the gap between students and residents, graduate student Olivia Seifert and her team ran a children’s winter carnival, featuring games such as a bean bag toss and pin the bow tie on the arctic animal.
Seifert said after collecting 85 coats to donate to charity during last year’s Winter Bowl, her group was excited to participate in the event for a second year.
“We work closely with the city, and we were happy to help them,” she said.
“It seems like it’s been a busier crowd this year.”
Lucas Palosaar, an employee of Starbucks, 1141 E. Grand River Ave., spent the afternoon meeting the hot chocolate demands of the festival attendees, selling small cups to families as they walked along the streets of East Lansing.
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“It’s nice to be able to do something as part of the community,” he said.
Carlson said the event was a good way to bring the community together and ring in the holiday season.
“It has a good economic impact and brings people downtown,” she said.
“Even if they don’t shop or eat that day, they may discover something new and come back to it.”
