A Jackson County Christmas tradition is back to a full-fledged festival this year.

In 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Medora Christmas Festival committee decided to scale the festival down to a one-night event with a tree lighting ceremony, cookies and Christmas carols. There also was a holiday lights contest and letters to Santa.

This year in late September, President Rachel Ault said the committee made the decision to return to the traditional two-day event.

“We just kind of played it by ear,” she said. “Of course, all of the other festivals were going on, so we decided that we would just go ahead and try it and see what happened.”

Ever since then, the committee has been planning the 49th annual festival, which is set for Friday and Saturday.

It starts at 6 p.m. Friday with the tree lighting ceremony in front of the library on Main Street. There will be free Christmas cookies, carols by the Medora Pentecostal Church choir and music from Derrek Foster.

Then Saturday, food, craft and flea market vendors will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ault said there are 45 vendors, who will be selling Christmas crafts, homemade candles, jewelry, barn quilts and more.

The festival committee will have a booth selling locally themed Christmas shirts, cards and ornaments, and there will be a silent auction and a Blackstone grill raffle. In the days leading up to the festival, the shirts, cards and ornaments may be purchased at State Bank of Medora.

There also will be five food vendors at the festival. Four of them, selling barbecue, fish sandwiches, elephant ears and funnel cakes and gourmet soups and sandwiches, will be set up outside, while Medora Wesleyan Church will have a bake sale and a variety of soups inside the Medora Senior Citizens Center along Main Street.

Entertainment on the stage near the senior citizens building includes Jerry and Amber Henson from 9 to 10 a.m., Donna and Wes Griffin from 10 to 11 a.m. and Tapp’d Seymour from 11 a.m. to noon.

At noon onstage, the 2021 festival prince and princess will be crowned. A boy and a girl from each class preschool through fifth grade at Medora STEM Academy are raising money, which will benefit the festival.

“They were given cans. They decorated them with Christmas paper, and they put them out at different (businesses in the area),” Ault said. “It’s a penny a vote, and whoever gets the most votes, that’s who wins.”

The festival parade will step off at 1 p.m. Anyone can build a float, create a walking unit, decorate a vehicle or even ride a horse and arrive at the former plastics factory parking lot along State Road 235 on the north end of town by noon for judging. No Santas can be entered in the parade.

Cash prizes will be awarded for school/church float, private (business, organization, family, etc.) float and walking unit for first, second and third places. Emergency vehicles, automobiles and special features have a chance to win trophies, ribbons and/or assorted prizes.

“People come that day and want to get in it,” Ault said. “It depends on the weather. That’s the one thing with our festival, if it’s 10 degrees and snowing, you have people drop out, but if it’s nice weather, they just come down and sign up.”

The parade will open with a prayer and “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Morris Tippin, and Paul Carr is the grand marshal.

“I was told his family was settlers to Carr Township, and that’s where Carr Township came from,” Ault said. “He has lived there for many, many years.”

After the parade, Selfies with Santa and Cookies with Mrs. Claus will be free at the senior citizens center.

The festival will close with the Christmas Ball from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Carr Township Conservation Club for ages 21 and older. It will feature an ugly Christmas sweater contest, door prizes, a silent auction, a 50/50 drawing and music from Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders. The cost is $10 per person, and tickets may be purchased from any festival committee member, at State Bank of Medora or at the door.

Also this year, Carr Township residents may participate in the holiday lights contest. Enter by sending name and the home’s address via facebook.com/medorachristmasfestival. Prizes are $100 for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for third place. Winners will be announced during the festival parade Saturday.

“We go out every night because not everyone turns their lights on every night, so we go out and look at them through this whole week,” Ault said of the judging process.

Christmas lights recently were placed on light poles in town to put people in the holiday spirit and gear up for this weekend’s festival.

“The weather is going to be nice,” Ault said. “Come on out and enjoy the day.”