January 2, 2015 at 4:35 p.m.
Cold doesn't stop Christmas Ambassadors from spreading holiday cheer
Cold doesn't stop Christmas Ambassadors from spreading holiday cheer
"We're just trying to make the holidays last a little bit longer for everyone," said event co-organizer Nancy Gehrig. "Everyone loves the holidays. (This time of year) just has such a wonderful feeling that comes along with it, so we just wanted to help keep that feeling alive for a little bit longer. And none of it could have been done without Tom (Swearingen) and all the things he's done to get our little group going."
Swearingen formed the group and planned its Christmas tour around the city.
To help spread cheer and keep the holiday spirit alive, the group traveled to area senior centers before gathering in the Trig's Riverwalk Centre Tuesday evening for a grand finale.
Despite freezing temperatures, 12 people lent their voices and instruments - including a trumpet, violin, guitar, bass guitar, some drums and a handful of bells - to the cause.
And by all accounts, a good time was had by all.
"It went great. We were small but we were mighty," Swearingen said. "The cold weather played a part in that, I think. I had gotten some emails about people really wanting to come, but not wanting to deal with the cold, which is understandable. We had enough people to make it a good time, and we sure did have a good time."
"With the weather that cold, I think sometimes people's common sense kicks in and they just want to stay where it's warm," he added with a laugh.
"Still, we had a great group show up and we really and truly had a wonderful time performing for everyone."
When Swearingen first broached the idea with interested parties, he knew right away he wanted to make the shows an annual event. After a successful first year, those plans have only grown stronger.
"Next year, we'll do it all over again," Swearingen said. "Everybody that was involved this year seriously had a good time and really want to work at it next year and maybe even bring it to a different level."
If all goes as planned, that next level will include a bigger group of revelers and a more robust schedule.
"We're thinking of maybe putting a whole Christmas show together with and for the people of Rhinelander," Swearingen said. "We're kicking around the idea of doing three 90-minute shows - free of charge of course - over the course of a day or two, because there were a lot of people last night that I know wanted to be part of it, either watching or performing, so the more options we have, hopefully the more people can make it."
"There's a lot of tweaking to be done. We realized the people in the nursing homes are often in bed by 8 p.m. but we couldn't start any earlier because people were coming straight from work, so we'll see how we can change that to make it better for everyone," he added.
"There are some logistics to work out, but all in all it was a good time."
And it wasn't just the revelers that were enjoying themselves.
"We had good crowds and the people really seemed to enjoy watching," Swearingen said. "The people in the nursing homes especially really, really received us well. That was a great feeling. That's what this is all about, to spread that Christmas cheer, to create something special for everybody."
While Swearingen was successful in creating something special for people around the city, his revelers and those who watched them perform helped create something special for him. And for that, he is grateful.
"I just want to thank everybody that participated and everybody that came out to see us - really, just a big thank you to everybody that was a part of it," he said. "And we'll see you all again next year."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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