The sun wasn’t shining but that didn’t stop Cowboy Santa from making his annual trek to Cowboy Christmas on Saturday, Nov. 27 at the Gene Bianchi Community Center.

Determined shoppers didn’t let a little drizzle stop them from attending this cowboy-centric craft bazaar and consequently finding that unique gift for a certain someone on their Christmas list.

However, the rain did discourage a few vendors who opted not to come in spite of already paying for their spot, said Cowboy Museum Executive Director, Christie Camarillo.

“This is the first time it has rained on us since we moved to the Community Center,” Camarillo said. “It rained on us while we had it near the Cowboy Museum on Sierra Street. That’s why we were so excited to offer an indoor venue after the community center was built. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot we could do to prepare the outside booths for rainy weather therefore, only half of them showed up – about 12. Santa’s arrival was a big safety concern for us because we didn’t want to take the chance of injury only a month from his big day or injure his horse on the wet and slippery pavement. Santa was a brave soul that weathered the storm outside under the partial covering of the community center roof.”

Photos with Santa were still a staple, as Kevin Fox Photography did bring a tent to cover the photography equipment.

There were 35 vendors inside the community center and 27 outside vendors, with 10 of those being new to the event.

“The crowd was definitely down due to the weather but there were still a lot of people that stopped by to visit or buy,” Camarillo said.

Some crowd favorites were local crafters who had items made specifically for the Cowboy Christmas event.

“Just visiting with them gets you in the holiday spirit because they are fun and full of energy,” Camarillo said, noting another favorite was one of the new exhibitors. “A crowd favorite may have been one of our new exhibitors A Cowgirl’s Promise, who had unique cowgirl items such as hats, purses and apparel with a safari spin. I loved the quote on some of the T-shirts, ‘Life is a Safari – Dream Wild’ which had a cowgirl roping from a zebra.”

Camarillo said the Cowboy Christmas Committee is already thinking of new ideas for next year’s event and they’re always open to suggestions.

Still, even with the rain, Camarillo said the event is a great community draw.

“I really enjoy seeing everyone who comes out for the event especially the kids that come to see Cowboy Santa,” Camarillo said. “I love seeing them in their cowboy hats and boots. Especially this year…we had a lot of real Cowboy Santa fans who came out in the rain.”