Ohio Co. Tourism Hosts a Merry Little Christmas Celebration on December 9

The event will feature a visit from Santa, hot chocolate, food, and the showing of The Santa Clause.

Children wait in line for their turn to talk to Santa. Photo provided.

(Rising Sun, Ind.) - Ohio County Tourism, Inc. in Rising Sun, Ind. will host Christmas Fun in Rising Sun A Merry Little Christmas Celebration on Saturday, December 9, 2023. Free and open to the public, the event takes place at the Visitors Center, located at 217 N. High Street, from 5:00-9:00 p.m.

“We’ve hosted Santa Claus at the Visitors Center for about seven years,” said Kendal Miller, executive director of Ohio County Tourism, Inc. “We grew the Santa event in 2022, and expanded to include even more fun this year.”

Along with the annual Santa visit, Miller said the tourism office has expanded to include local businesses and organizations, additional vendors, live reindeer, and a Worship Team from a neighboring church singing songs of the season. Debuting at last year’s event, another holiday outdoor movie is scheduled for this year.

Miller explained that they polled their Facebook followers to find out what Christmas movie they were most interested in watching. Disney’s, The Santa Clause, starring Tim Allen, begins at 7:00 p.m.

The Merry Little Christmas Celebration festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. when Santa arrives at the festively decorated Visitors Center. He’ll be available to visit with guests until 7:00 p.m.

New for this year, Whitetail Acres will be at the Center from 5:00-7:00 p.m. with a couple of live reindeer from their reindeer farm. Deer handlers will be on hand to answer questions from attendees of all ages.

Members of the Rising Sun Church of Christ’s Worship Team will perform songs of the season under the pavilion from 5:15-7:00 p.m.

Hotdogs and hamburgers will be available for sale by the Scouts, a fundraiser for the youth organization. Free hot chocolate, coffee, and sugar cookies will be available at the Sweet Shave trailer beginning at 5:00 p.m. until supplies last.

The Ohio County Historical Museum and Sun Rise Garden, Floral & Gifts will set up pop-up shops in tourism’s two chalets. Other arts & crafts vendors are also expected to participate.

Attendees should bring their lawn chairs and blankets to watch the movie, The Santa Clause, under the pavilion from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Patio heaters and fire pits will help take off the chill. The Christmas Fun in Rising Sun-A Merry Little Christmas Celebration is presented by Ohio County Tourism, Inc. and sponsored in part from an Arts Project Support Grant from the Indiana Arts Commission and the Columbus Area Arts Council-Region 9. The award was provided to Tourism for a series of art-associated events through June 30, 2024.

For more information, contact Rising Sun/Ohio County Tourism at (812) 438-4933 on Tuesday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Information on lodging, eateries, tourist attractions and events can be found at enjoyrisingsun.com, or by emailing kendal@enjoyrisingsun.com.