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New volunteers help with Community Friends Thanksgiving

The 37th New Ulm Community Friends Thanksgiving was held at St. Mary’s Church Thursday and it was once again a success. It is estimated 1,400 meals were served during the dinner. All of this was made possible thanks to the volunteers who gave of their own time during the holiday. This year roughly 175 volunteers helped, either with the meal preparation or the meal services. In addition, this year saw a higher number of first-time volunteers lending a hand. As the annual community dinner grows, the number of people willing to help also grows.

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The upside-down Christmas tree returns

Last year New Ulm got experimental with its Christmas decorations by hanging an upside-down Christmas tree at Hermann Heights park. That experiment paid off, bringing extra attention to the community. It turns out, the upside-down Christmas tree was not a one-time experiment. A new upside-down tree was hung in German Park on Monday. By relocating the tree to German Park, it recenters New Ulm’s Christmas celebration to the downtown area.

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Weihnachts Market a great lead-in to Parade of Lights

The Friday after Thanksgiving has long served as the unofficial kick off for the Christmas season. In New Ulm, that means the Parade of Lights will travel Minnesota Street in the evening. This year, New Ulm started the festivities earlier by expanding the fun into a holiday market. The year saw the city host the inaugural Weihnachts Markt in German Park. This outdoor event included vendors, live music and other festive attractions. The holiday market ran from noon to 5 p.m. The holiday market was located a block away from the parade route. This gave families something to do in the lead up to the Parade of Lights.