Old is the new new

Red Wing Holiday Stroll: A Nostalgic Family Event

Last night was the 7th annual Red Wing Holiday Stroll. This event, hosted by the Downtown Red Wing Mainstreet organization, serves as an alternative to the enclosed mall exodus that typically occurs the day after Thanksgiving.

Anyone downtown can define whatever activity they want to do during the stroll, and many merchants provide discounts and free snacks. We opted to work with The Sheldon Theatre to create a fun family event that is both corny and nostalgic.

We decided to re-create an Eisenhower-era tradition: the family Christmas photo.

We set up a faux outdoor-looking Christmas photo set, obviously taken indoors, reminiscent of a Macy’s Department Store in 1955. This allowed us to use period overcoats, hats, and fake snow to re-create the era and move clients in and out of the set quickly. Fifteen minutes later, they would stop by our shop to pick up a keepsake 5”x7” photo, printed in period fashion and in a stylish envelope. Most clients ‘got it’ and really embraced the spirit of the event.

All for $5, with all proceeds going to the Friends of The Sheldon, the fundraising arm of The Sheldon.

A small army of volunteers was recruited, and it was a mostly smooth workflow of production. There were a lot of laughs, and there are too many people to thank here who made this work. Ideas are already brewing for next year.

Good times.