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With Christmas just ahead on the horizon, many Perry County residents are ready to take a step back in time and kick off the season with a trip off the beaten path.
For the past three decades, the Brazeau Historic Society has hosted its annual Old-Fashioned Christmas Walk in the tiny Perry County village, and this year is no different.
“It truly is a magical evening,” said committee member Bonnie Hemman. “There aren’t many places like Brazeau left in rural America and we need to save them.”
This year’s Christmas Walk is scheduled to run from 3-8 p.m. Saturday and will feature many of the sights, sounds and activities that visitors have come to expect over the years.
Hemman stressed that, while the event is indeed a fundraiser, the proceeds of which are used to maintain the historic buildings in the village, there is no fee for attendance.
“What it really does is help raise some money for the historic society to help keep up the buildings,” Hemman said, “because we don’t get any government grants or anything. It’s all what we do with a couple of fundraisers to help keep up the buildings and keep our town looking nice. And it’s also like a nice little Christmas present to the community and to area people who want to come, because you can come and not spend a dime if you don’t want to.”
Last year, an estimated crowd of more than 500 visitors flooded the village, vastly overshadowing its population of 15 permanent residents. Not all of them are from Perry County or even southeast Missouri.
“Earlier this year, I had somebody call me,” Hemman said. “She actually lives in Texas, and bought plane tickets to come home for the Christmas Walk, and she wanted to make sure that it was happening. We get people from all over.”
On Saturday, the roads and pathways in the village will be lit up with over 300 luminaries, and Christmas music will fill the air as visitors walk through and visit the historic buildings, which have already been dressed in their Christmas finery.
Many of these buildings have artifacts that allow viewers to see how people from that time period lived.
The Christmas Walk also includes an old schoolhouse that has many historical items on display, most donated or loaned by people in the Brazeau community.
A yearly highlight is the Christmas concert at the Brazeau Presbyterian Church, which celebrated its 200th anniversary earlier this year. The concert is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. The church serves as a major historical site in the community.
Visitors who work up an appetite as they roam the historical sites will be able to find refreshments at Aunt Carrie’s Tea House, which will have sandwiches, desserts, and drinks available and will also accept donations to the historical society.
The Hemman Winery will also be open late and will have a patio with a fire pit, giving visitors a chance to rest, warm up, and visit.
In addition, visitors will be able to make their own treats at the s’mores hut.
The Heartland Social Club will put on a live Nativity, and the Brazeau Community Hall will host a craft fair with many different vendors. Santa will be hard at work in his workshop as he prepares for Christmas Eve, and Mrs. Claus will be making cookies while he works. While Santa is working, children can watch or visit the old post office where they can write and mail letters to Santa.
“This is definitely a Perry County-type tradition,” Hemman said. “Some people refer to it as Hallmark. Somebody else said this is like Mayberry. It’s just a neat way to kick off the holiday season.”
