Weatherwise, it was a cold and nearly blustery night, with the decided chill in the air making you believe it could snow.

Rain arrived later; but the bad weather held off for the bulk of Oakdale’s Old Fashioned Christmas celebration downtown on Third Avenue on Friday, Dec. 6.

The event featured music, horse drawn wagon rides, food, crafts for the kids, an appearance by Santa Claus and vendors offering up some holiday gift ideas from blinged out hats to handmade jewelry.

Many downtown businesses also stayed open late for the evening and featured specials for holiday shoppers.

Ten-year-old Seth Simmons was enjoying rolling around in a human-sized ‘hamster ball’ while members of the Sierra 4-H Club brought some real life animals in for a petting zoo that attracted a number of youngsters.

Little Sprouts Day Care hosted a craft tent for kids, with holiday-themed crafts and Oakdale Bicycle Shop owner Dave Enz had a lighted bicycle on display to promote his Saturday, Dec. 14 bicycle light parade. Cycling enthusiasts will gather in the back parking lot of the East F Street bike shop on Saturday for the parade, with bicycles needing to be equipped with some sort of holiday lights to take part in the parade.

Nearby, the trees in Wood Park were also lit as part of a special celebration there, with a variety of groups and individuals caring for a dedicated tree that lights the park walkway throughout the holiday season.