Paul Szmal: Good Morning 751, FLX Morning brought to you by Enstec Automotive and Trailer, your go-to destination for hauling and vehicle services. 2567 Edwards Road, Waterloo or online at enstecautomotive.com. Jamie Noges here from the CliftonSprings Chamber of Commerce. Welcome back.
Jamie Noga: Thank you. I appreciate being here.
Paul Szmal: Always terrific to have you. Let's look back real quickly before we look ahead. Last time you were here was to talk about Sip and Sway. How was that?
Jamie Noga: It was fun. We have the band, the Dean's List, and they always get people in a good mood. And the weather cooperated. So, it was a great time. We had fun with them. They came in twice for the shows on Seneca Lake. What a great bunch of guys. That was a lot of fun.
Paul Szmal: And then, of course, this past Saturday was Small Business Saturday and, I mean, CliftonSprings is all about small business.
Jamie Noga: It is indeed. Our little downtown is nice and concentrated and has various specialty shops and a couple restaurants. So, it's a great place to hit any time, but it does match up well with Small Business Saturday.
Paul Szmal: And then Friday night, the Festival of Lights. Just a traditional, old-timey Christmas celebration that I think, after everything we've been through with the pandemic and all this political turmoil and everything, I think people are kind of clinging to these sorts of things, maybe more than ever.
Jamie Noga: I believe people do appreciate it a little bit more than perhaps they did before. It just puts you in a great mood.
Paul Szmal: So, our little downtown area gets closed off to vehicular traffic, which makes way for horse-drawn wagon rides. Santa's there. There are street vendors and plenty of food options and great, as I said, specialty shops with some specials going on for people. We have assorted entertainment. There's live music and singing, a preview of the Nutcracker Ballet. This year, we have a sneak peek of SpongeBob the Musical. You always get great entertainment for these events.
Jamie Noga: Oh, indeed. And I'm always amazed by how much talent there is locally. And it's one of the few times of the year that people have access to the chapel, which is now in the Spa Apartments. It was originally the Clifton Springs Sanitarium, and that has one of three mosaics known to exist in the world that was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Paul Szmal: Oh, wow.
Jamie Noga: That's right. It's a six-by-sixteen-foot mosaic at the Last Supper, and it's a real treat to have tucked away right in our neighborhood.
Paul Szmal: And I say this every time you come on, but I'm going to say it again. It's a perfect area. I mean, downtown Clifton Springs, you can park anywhere and walk to a couple of dozen different great shops. I know Dork Forest Comics always advertises with us, and there's a whole bunch more.
Jamie Noga: Yes. And some of these places have pretty passionate followings. The bookstore does an open mic night, and they have book clubs. And this time of year, just the decorations really help make everything feel even more special.
Paul Szmal: So this is this Friday night, 6 to 8.30, the Clifton Springs Festival of Lights, right downtown. All the shopping deals, the stores will be open. All of the entertainment we talked about, not only Santa Claus will be there, Frosty and Rudolph will be there. Lots and lots of kid activities and always great food, of course.
Jamie Noga: Oh, indeed. It's really a great way to spend a couple hours, regardless of your age.
Paul Szmal: And I get a kick out of hearing people compare it to being in a Hellmark Christmas movie. It really does have that feel to it.
Jamie Noga: It absolutely does. It's got nice components, but then it's wrapped up in a nice, sweet package. And not only do you have all of the downtown stores that everybody loves, but you're going to have some street vendors going around, too. So there'll be some different opportunities and a chance to get different things.
Paul Szmal: I know in our Christmas shopping, in our family, a few years ago we just went, uh, we're tired of going to the same place and getting the same things, and let's look at some different ideas. So perfect to go to downtown Clifton Springs this Friday. There's a gentleman who is a very talented painter, so that's one of a kind items you would find.
Jamie Noga: Yeah. Fair trade items, and like you said, plenty of fun things for kids, too.
Paul Szmal: I'll put you on the spot here. Did somebody do these drawings on the flyer, or was that just standard art from somewhere?
Jamie Noga: Oh, standard art from somewhere.
Paul Szmal: Ah, beautiful. It just, because it does, it has that, there's one scene of a couple dressed in Dickens-era gear under an old light, and you've got the horse-drawn sleigh, and you've got the old-fashioned Christmas tree, and it's just beautiful. It's the Clifton Springs Festival of Lights. It's this Friday from 6 to 830, so what are you hearing from the merchants in terms of the Black Friday and this holiday season?
Jamie Noga: It sounds like it's off to a good start for a lot of people. I believe it is in Clifton Springs, and people are a little anxious, maybe, because Thanksgiving was so late that this year there's a shorter time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so again, this is a nice opportunity to go out and accomplish something towards your Christmas list, but not feeling any anxiety. It's not, nothing against malls, but it's a totally different feel.
Paul Szmal: So what's on the agenda for 2025? What are a couple of your main initiatives for the Chamber?
Jamie Noga: Well, we'll be mixing up a little bit of our promotion, but otherwise, you know, we hope to bring back the same tried-and-true events, the sip and sway. The Festival of Lights is in one variation or another, it's somewhere in its 30-something year.
Paul Szmal: Wow.
Jamie Noga: So I think people would have a tantrum if certain things didn't continue. If we can add to the mix, we will.
Paul Szmal: All right, well, if you're not watching the Hallmark Channel, just go to Clifton Springs and you can live at the Festival of Lights this Friday from 6 to 8.30 with Santa and Frosty and Rudolph, and food and music and entertainment and great places to shop, and of course, lots of fun. Jamie, thanks as always. We appreciate it and love to tell people about these fun things.
Jamie Noga: Thank you. Always appreciate the time.
