Taylor University Honors students volunteered at the event, and wore elf hats to distinguish themselves from others.

Pierce Church Worship, led by Audrey Felger, played Christmas songs throughout the night.

The crowd was led to sing along to songs such as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World.”

After the introduction by the Masters of Ceremonies Andrew Preston and Alex Reno, Pierce Church Pastor Chad Yoder gave a Christmas message.

Just before the tree was lit, Carol Curry read the poem “Light of Upland.”

Our Town Upland, a nonprofit organization, has been sponsoring the annual tree lighting in Depot Park since 1993. “The first year consisted of a member of the organization, Warren Ross, lighting a very small little tree. Today the tree is likely the largest tree in the area to be decorated for the holidays,” Daena Richmond, secretary and treasurer of the Upland Historical Society, said.

Just before 6 p.m., the tree was lit by the Voss family. “They operate Nearspace Launch, an aerospace technology and innovation center and Nearspace Education, a lab based learning environment here in Upland,” Richmond said.

Richmond said community members “…enjoyed the tree lighting ceremony, as well as music, a luminary walk on the Upland Greenway, train rides for the kiddies, cocoa and cookies, candy canes, crafts at Upland’s newest shop, Patent Pending, and most important, a visit with Santa in the Depot!”

After the tree was lit, Santa Claus made an appearance, and greeted families inside the Upland Depot.

The Luminary Walk leading to the Christmas tree consisted of a half mile of over 1,000 tea candles.

Richmond said this chair is, “believed to be the chair used in the local Methodist Church in Upland by Thaddeus Reade, first President of Taylor University. It is on loan to The Upland Historical Society from 1846 Enterprises. It was used by Santa this year to greet visitors in the Depot Museum during Upland’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting.” (Photo provided by the Upland Historical Society)

62 businesses and other organizations signed up to participate and created festive floats, starting the Christmas season for the hundreds of spectators from the community.

Andy Davis has been in charge of directing the Christmas Parade for the past few years.

“We know that [the Christmas Parade] was started in the 60’s, but then discontinued at some point, and it’s kind of gone off and on over the years,” Davis said, “So the current version of it has been about 15 years.”

The parade used to take place in the afternoon each year, but now it occurs in the evening. 

“The Walkway of Lights started in 1993, and the all day Christmas festival thing that we do now started in 2019,” Davis said.

The day’s festivities included Santa Claus arriving via helicopter, food trucks, vendors and more.

Cassie Beals and Megan Cadena, two local moms, enjoyed the celebration with their families.

“We were down here earlier, my oldest son played the Grinch down at the axe throwing. And then we got the kids to see Santa Claus,” Cadena said.

“I don’t think that there is a favorite part, it all is pretty neat,” said Beals, “I checked out the food court and got the delicious donuts.”

The parade appeared to be a popular way for the city to end the day of celebration. Hundreds of people gathered in the streets to watch the parade and the lights.

“Some of the floats are just so impressive. It blows me away,” Davis said, “So I feel like my part is easy compared to what they do so that they’re the ones who really make it great.”

Some groups in the parade were local school marching bands. Indiana Wesleyan University’s Marching Wildcats made an appearance towards the end of the parade, performing a rendition of “Santa Baby.”

Elsa Bickett, a member of IWU’s Color Guard, explained the process for preparing for the parade.

“We kind of spent like the last two or three weeks reviewing, we learned the choreo in one day, and then we just every practice would review at the beginning,” Bickett said, “It was cold, though. The band was playing their instruments to keep them warm too.”

Davis said many different groups participated in the parade.

“One of the neat things about is that there really is a variety,” Davis said, “Some of them are commercial businesses, some of them are nonprofits. We have school groups, social groups, so it’s really a wide variety of groups that are part of it.”

Oak Hill Drama has competed in regionals three times, but this is the first time they have won.

“Huntington University hosted us, and then it’s run by a host school,” Aeron Kincaid, the Oak Hill drama director said, “Blackhawk Christian was the host school for Huntington. Indiana Thespians brings in three judges to adjudicate the show.”

Kincaid explained that Indiana Thespians provided a standard rubric for the judges to use. Four schools competed in this regional competition, and the two highest-scored shows advanced to state.

Hannah Strange is an Oak Hill student who has been in 11 shows for Oak Hill Drama.

“I feel like we can still go into state as confident as we went to regionals, because I think it’s important to be confident, even though it’s our first year, but still knowing that there’s also a lot of other talented schools,” Strange said, “And knowing that, but also being confident in our work and ourselves.”

Hannah Middlesworth is another Oak Hill student who has been in nine of their shows.

“This year, honestly, was way less stressful. I think it’s because we started rehearsing the show much earlier,” Middlesworth said, “I just felt more confident going into regional day, and I just felt like I could count on other people this time around.”

Oak Hill performed “100 Things I Never Said to You,” a play about teenagers wrestling with grief about a classmate who passed away.

“There’s 100 different monologues, and each monologue is a different student,” Strange said, “So, like, I’m seven different students, but we don’t actually have names for our characters.”

“We obviously sought permission due to the content of dealing with death, and I wanted to make sure the students were okay with performing something that would be that powerful and going through grief, because you don’t know what story each kid holds,” Kincaid said, “But I think it’s been pretty cathartic for every student that’s been involved.”

The Indiana Thespians State Competition will take place from Jan. 24 to Jan. 26, hosted by Avon High School.

“It got moved from Indiana Wesleyan to Avon,” Kincaid said, “IWU hosted it last year and then three years ago.”

Strange and Middlesworth emphasized that confidence was a large part of what helped Oak Hill Drama win regionals.

“We’ve made it this far, I feel like we have a really good chance at going further,” Middlesworth said.

“It’s really cool to see that they are just as capable as everyone else to achieve something like this,” Kincaid said, “I’m giving them a little bit of rest, because they’re actually going into auditions next week for the spring musical, and then we’ll pick it back up in December, then January, we’ll do probably a few more community performances, and then we’ll take it to state.”

The event lasted from 9:00 a.m  to 5:00 p.m, and according to Vendor Chair Michelle Roberts, 42 different vendors came to sell their creations. The average attendance for each year is anywhere between 400 to 450 people.

“It’s always held that first Saturday in November here at the fairgrounds,” Roberts said, “Years ago when it started, vendor events weren’t very common, so this was kind of like the only one that happened on this weekend, and now you know how popular vendor events are.”

The idea was for a Christmas event to take place just after Halloween.

“I believe it was kind of that kickoff of the season to try to get people to get out and start shopping, not only for those on their list, but maybe find something for themselves as well,” Roberts said.

The Grant County Extension Homemakers has sponsored this event for over 20 years.

“I’ve been Vendor Chair for probably about 12 years now,” Roberts said, “I’ve been doing the chair part of it, so it’s sponsored by the Grant County Extension Homemakers, which is a part of the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association.”

The event hosts vendors of all kinds.

“It’s a combination of homemade items,” Roberts said, “We do have some direct sales, like Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, bakeries come and set up.”

Connie Nelson is a vendor who has been selling at this event for at least seven years, creating handmade cards, scrap caddies, and ornaments.

“I’ve been making the cards for 25 years,” Nelson said, “We use discarded things and make them.”

Nelson gives $2 of each card sale to the Grant County Cancer Center.

“We work all year long,” Nelson said, “And then I take pictures of our booth, and I put them on Facebook and tell people to come and see us.”

One new vendor at the event was The Dogwood Patch, created by Judi Riggs, Kim Bosworth, and Kelly Dock.

The group sells handmade wreaths and other seasonal homemade decor. Each item is unique.

“I would probably say that the fall, like the pumpkins and things have done well,” Riggs said,“Because we do a variety, it’s hard to pinpoint one thing.”

In preparation for this event, the group came together to work and look for inspiration.

“We spend a lot of time together in our ‘she-shed’ and we look through magazines, we look on Etsy, we get inspiration from Pinterest, and then sit together and put things together,” Bosworth said, “And sometimes we put them together and take them apart and put them together again.”

Each vendor had a unique part to play in the event, and each one prepared extensively for the large crowd that attended. Each attendee got to experience the start of the Christmas season by looking at all the Grant County Extension Homemakers had to offer.

Steve Wood is the director of this play, and said he looks forward to bringing fun and laughter to the audience.

“We were looking for something that would be lighthearted, that would be romantic,” Wood said, “It’s a romantic comedy, and it’s something that’s had a long life and has been popular for 130 plus years.”

Abby Shewan is a junior who has been in four other IWU Theatre Guild Productions. She will be playing Lady Bracknell.

“Just feel free to laugh, because that’s what the actors want,” Shewan said. “They want the audience engaged and interacting and laughing until they fall out of their chairs.”

Theatre is no longer offered as a major at IWU, but Wood said he was able to witness his students continue to work hard within the program.

“It’s been really inspiring to work with a group of students who didn’t quit on the program, and are still trying to get everything out of it that they can get out of it,” Wood said.

Shewan is one of the few remaining theatre majors. 

“It’s been really interesting because (The Theatre Guild)was a little bit small last year, but we’ve had a lot of theatre minors join, and so our guild is actually pretty big this semester,” Shewan said. “Which is super encouraging to see that even though it’s not offered as a major, there are still plenty of people interested in the theatre, which definitely gives us as a Guild hope for the future of the theatre division here at IWU.”

Anna Blower is a sophomore in the program, and will be playing Gwendolen Fairfax, an upper class English girl. Last year, Blower performed as Katrina, a 12-year-old girl, in IWU Theatre Guild’s original production “Finding Home.”

“For this preparation for the character, I’ve had to learn how to sit up straight all the time. You’re not allowed to touch your hair, we have to learn the British accent,” Blower said. “And there’s also a lot more words in this play to memorize, so it’s been very different.”

Blower is not only playing a lead role in this production, but is also aiding in designing the set.

“This is my first time playing a lead, this is my first time playing a lover, and this is my first time having so many lines. But it’s also my first time designing the set and painting a set,” Blower said. “So a lot of firsts, which is exciting, but it has been a lot to balance.”

So much preparation has gone into the production that the Guild hopes can become a relaxing break for students, couples and families.

“This is a play that is for everybody. It’s not the most meaningful and philosophically deep show you’re ever going to see, it’s just silly,” Wood said. “It’ll be great for a date night, or if you want to take your kid to something, and you’re wondering if they’re gonna enjoy it, it’ll be the show for them too.”

The show on Saturday, November 9 has already been sold out. Members of the IWU Theatre Guild encourage audiences to come in ready to laugh and enjoy the performance.

Professor Todd Williams, the director of the Jazz Ensemble, commented on this exciting change. He said that the Jazz Ensemble has doubled due to the increase in students who play trumpet and trombone.

“I remember for a season we had one trombone for a couple of years, and it was discouraging for that individual, and it just takes away from the whole sound of the group when you have fewer people,” Williams said. “ But nonetheless, we’ve had an influx of young brass players and other wind players.”

Master Davy Chinn, the director of Chorale, saw an extreme change in numbers after recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We ended the year last year with 26, which was an all time low,” said Chinn, “And I really thought last year would be the beginning of the growth, growing back, but it really wasn’t, but this year, we saw a massive increase in auditions. So year over year to date, our enrollment in our three choirs is up 17% from last fall.”

This massive change in numbers is partly due to different recruiting strategies, which both professors agreed they could continue to improve upon.

“I would love to somehow get the word out to the rest of the students on campus,” Williams said, “I think sometimes we’re a little bit isolated being in a separate building and being on the other side of campus, that a lot of students who may want to continue their progress in music may not even know that there’s an opportunity.”

Chinn said his approach this year included contacting potential students directly.

“I don’t know if that helps or not, or if it scares people away, but we were very aggressive,” Chinn said, “I’ve worked very closely with admissions to make sure that anybody who even sniffs of choir or band or orchestra gets connected to somebody in our division so we can try to convince them to be involved.”

Several Chorale students commented on the growth they had seen within their program. Jadyn Mucher explained her initial draw to Chorale.

“I think the high level of hard work it took to be successful in the group – I think that was my biggest encouragement and biggest drive in wanting to join,” Mucher said.

Wyatt Wakeman said, “It was more than just a choir. It wasn’t just people making music together. It was a family of believers, and we really are a family that comes together to praise God and make beautiful music.”

Elijah Sherman, another student in Chorale, said, “On my visit day, I got to sit in and listen to Chorale rehearsal and, hearing the quality of music that the Chorale two years ago made as an ensemble was amazing, and it made me want to join.”

Williams and Chinn both explained that even students with different backgrounds or even little musical experience can still be involved.

“We look forward to having more acoustic bass players, people with different backgrounds, even other instruments that are not traditionally jazz instruments,” Williams said, “I would love to have a jazz oboist or a jazz bassoonist, and there’s no reason why you can’t do that. It’s just the mindset.”

Chinn has the same sentiment. 

“I want there to be choirs where people can be involved, even if they have no choral experience,” said Chinn, “One of our three choirs right now, campus choir, is open to anybody on campus, faculty and staff included. They can be people that have been singing for 40 years, ten years, five years, or have never sung before in a choir.”

As their efforts to continue this growth pattern continue, students within these programs are working hard to create music that may inspire the next generation to become involved in the future of IWU’s Division of Music & Theatre.

The final production will consist of six performances over three weekends.

Aeron Kincaid, the musical’s director, explained how excited she was to be putting on a musical like this one.

“Musicals are always my favorite, because that’s what sold me into theater,” Kincaid said. “It’s pretty cool to watch my students put to life something that I grew up with, and to watch each cast do it a little bit different.”

This production has a double cast for five of their lead roles. Two different actors will take turns playing several characters. Hannah Middlesworth and Allie Van Winkle, two Oak Hill juniors, are sharing the role of Sebastian.

“Me and Hannah have been friends forever,” Van Winkle said, “And it’s literally a role that we get to play together, and it’s very fun, and it’s interactive. And we’re always doing something.”

Ariel is another character that was double cast for the production. Hannah Strange is playing one of the two Ariels, along with Kayah Harris.

“Me and Kayah are two roles,” Strange said, “And so probably the biggest challenge is like doing both at the same time. But it’s also really fun because it’s like, they’re very different.”

Some of the actors said the double casting allows them to see how two different people portray the same character.

“I see a lot of myself in my role, because I’m stubborn, just like Ariel,” Harris said. “I’ve loved seeing me and my double cast Hannah kind of grow in this musical, and all the new friends I’ve made.”

Many of the actors shared about how their favorite part of this production has been the growing of their relationships with their peers.

John Gilbert, who plays Grimsby, said, “My favorite part is probably making friends that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I guarantee you, if I didn’t get this role, I would not have like, at least five people that I have now.”

Kincaid said her favorite part of this production was seeing how much her students have grown throughout the process.

“Watching kids accomplish something that they didn’t think they were capable of,” Kincaid said. “I think that’s always what gets me, and watching them have a lightbulb moment on stage where they do something and create a response or walk away from it, knowing that they just gave their all and that their all was enough, is just a really cool thing to watch.”

Many of the students were challenged to learn new skills and grow in their acting abilities.

“It’s something kind of out of my comfort zone, and it’s a really goofy role,” Saralyn Pendleton, playing Scuttle, said. “The biggest challenge for me is probably tap dancing, singing, and doing a character voice all at once.”

Getting this musical to the place where it is now was a very long process.

“We’ve been working on this now for a year behind the scenes, and the students started working on it, technically, in January,” said Kincaid, “We’re a lot further along than some years past, and a lot of that is the awesome backstage adult team that I have that makes it flow so much smoother, because I cannot be everywhere at one time.”

Opening night for “The Little Mermaid” is on April 19th at 7:00 p.m.