HUSON — The Nine Mile Schoolhouse has been a gathering place for holiday celebrations over the past century and for the past five years, the celebration has also been about donating to charity.
The Enchanted Christmas Village is an opportunity for families to get together and enjoy holiday festivities with pony rides, hey rides, and pictures with Santa.
The previous holiday celebration at this location was focused around making crafts but this tradition started five years ago with the current owners of the schoolhouse.
“So when we purchased the schoolhouse I knew I would like to do something but I don’t make crafts necessarily so we kind of reconfigured it a little bit to still host Christmas and share the joy of the season with others, but to do it in our own way that’s more geared toward children in the daytime then more towards the adults in the evening," Jessie Crowley said.
However, this event is not about just having fun, the proceeds from this event benefit the Montana Down Syndrome Association and the families affiliated with it. Some of the volunteers who made this event possible donated their time because of a personal connection with the charity.
“We have a great friend whose child has downs and he is more like family to us and so I want to be a part of that," said Nikki Martins who has volunteered for five years. "I want to be a part of helping families that need that extra boost at times whether it be financial or time or even the opportunity to come to an event like this for free.”
