ShawneeDispatch.com

When winds forced some of the activities of Shawnee's fourth annual Christmas Around Town event indoors, Susan Taylor took advantage of the shelter of City Hall.

There, the Merriam resident and her son Alex, 6, found plenty to keep them entertained. Alex had his face painted like a dragon, had his caricature drawn and made a few crafts at the Wonderscope tables. Then they were ready to head back outside to Shawnee Town when the winds had died down a bit.

Taylor said it was their third year attending the event, and they weren't the type to let a little bit of strange weather send them home.

"I think it's fun - one year it was bitterly cold, and we came out anyway," Taylor said. "I think it's a nice community activity."

This year's Christmas Around Town was a blow-out event, though not the type of blow out the city had hoped for. The day was unseasonably warm, but high winds and some early rain likely scared away some potential attendees.

But even with the winds that nearly blew down tents early in the evening, a healthy crowd turned out for the street entertainers, visits with Santa Claus, carolers and more.

Things were a bit busier at Shawnee Town, where things were more sheltered and lines were typically long to visit Santa and ride the carriage and sleigh through the museum grounds.

Though the winds limited activities downtown, the puppet show and other children's activities still had a good following, and a good crowd turned out for the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas Tree.

Before the tree was lit, Mayor Jeff Meyers presented a check for $5,020 to Shawnee Community Services and thanked all who came out for the event.

"We can never ask for perfect weather, but I think wind is better than rain," Meyers said.

Mark Mollentine, chair of the Shawnee Downtown Partnership, said the weather pulled a strange twist on the event.

"When we lighted the Mayor's Christmas Tree, it swayed in the wind so much that I'm not sure the 'oohs' and 'aahs' were for how pretty it was or gasps of concern that it was about to be blown over," Mollentine joked.

But in the end, he said the event was truly a reflection of the Christmas spirit of helping others.

"If you live in Kansas, you come to understand that the ever-changing weather is just part of the deal," he said. "What I hope is remembered most about this event will not be the weather, but everyone's pitching in together to help move parts of the event indoors and to reposition the outdoor activities as best as possible, so that the event could continue."