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Second annual community event draws crowd despite rainfall

Despite a steady rainfall that blanketed Coffee County for much of Saturday Dec. 2, the crowds made their way to Hillsboro’s own Bains Orchard for its second annual Christmas Festival.

The smell of fresh roasted cinnamon nuts filled the air of the orchard’s barn as community members shopped from a selection of artisan goods and other potential Christmas gifts available from the host of vendors at the event.

Located at 2163 Bains Road, guests bundled up in their rain gear to enjoy holiday staples like Christmas lights, carolers, pictures with Santa all mixed in with the vendor market and food trucks.

Mike Chissler of Valley View Farm in Manchester said it was the second year he and his wife Joanne have been vendors at the Bains Orchard Christmas Festival. The couple had such a nice time at the inaugural event last year they decided to come back this year.

“Some of it was that we had such a great day last year,” Chissler said. “Being the first year we weren’t expecting it to be as busy as it was and it was just a wonderful event. The folks that run the farm do an awesome job and we just are happy they are bringing the farm back.”

Chissler said he and his wife raise alpacas at their Manchester farm.

“We have got a bunch of alpaca items,” he said. “We have dryer balls, coasters and hats and socks and yarn and we have got a big garden area so we have some dried peppers, dried flowers and dried flower arrangements.”

Bains Orchard co-owner Johnathan Graf said the Christmas Festival is one way the longtime orchard can again become a place where members of the community can come together.

“We felt like we just needed a way to give back to the community and get them back out to the property and so we kind of settled on, let’s have a Christmas festival,” Graf said. “We have this big barn, let’s get a few vendors out in the barn, let’s sell Christmas gifts and let’s decorate for Christmas and have people come out and just enjoy the season.”

While there were expectations for a much smaller event with perhaps about 100 neighbors and community members dropping by, the family welcomed 25 craft vendors and about 1,000 people to Bains Orchard for the inaugural Christmas Festival last year.

“We had such a great time at it and the people who came gave us such positive feedback, we were like, well this can’t be a one-time thing,” Graf said.

Despite the rainfall, visitors still came out to enjoy the apple orchard decorated with colorful lights and enjoy the family-oriented event, which also included a photo with Santa Claus.