Georgetown Santas to Return This Weekend

The Georgetown Santas will return for their annual event on Georgetown Road in Salina this weekend. This year’s event marks the 26th year of spreading Christmas cheer.

The group tells KSAL News on December 21st – 23rd, 6:30pm – 9:00pm each night, the Santas and their elves will give out candy and freshly-popped popcorn to passersby.

The tradition began back in 1998, when Jack Schmiedeler moved to Georgetown Road. He noticed a lot of traffic at Christmas from sightseers looking at the lights. He bought a Santa suit, stood outside, waved and gave away candy.

His neighbor from across the street, Paul McDaniel, asked if he could join in the fun. Other neighbors including Pete Martin, Mike Chaput, and Mel Augustine joined in the effort. Also joining in as Santa’s helpers were Justin Martin, Virgil Michaelis, and Larry Thompson. They began handing out freshly-popped popcorn in addition to the candy.

This event is open to all in the community and is free of charge, but donations are encouraged to help offset operating expenses. Salina has stepped with respect that the operation has run entirely off of donations from the community for the last 20+ years. Year after year, the Santas have continued to receive enough in donations to cover the associated costs of supporting the event for the following year, namely the costs associated with procuring all of the candy and popcorn supplies.

Santas this year include:

Jack Schmeideler
Paul McDaniel
Pete Martin
Mike Chaput
Mel Augustine
Brian Berner
Jay Caldwell
Kevin Bernhardt
Steve Sperling
Doug Evans
Marvin Timmons
Brian Charles

Elves include:

Justin Martin
Larry Thompson
John Miller
Zach Schreiber
Jake Meyer

The Georgetown Santas eagerly anticipate this annual event, relishing the opportunity to spread some holiday cheer throughout the community. Over three nights of operation, they greet thousands of visitors.

More information can be found at georgetownsantas.com and our Facebook page facebook.com/georgetownsantas , including information on how people can help.