Before the spectacles of Christmas lights and stories, the special dinner and the ball, Main Street in Ellinwood was bustling with activity Saturday afternoon.  Children enjoyed the interactive story walk, stopping at several shop windows to read passages and act out the instructions at each.  A German St. Nick strolled along, handing out small candy canes to children as they passed, on his way to the Abendbrot (German dinner) to be held at the Ellinwood Senior Center.  Inside, authentic German ornaments adorned an old-fashioned style feather tree, and William Keel of the German Department of Kansas University met with locals to talk about the origins of many of the street names of Ellinwood.  
Around the town, where ever there was space to be found, local crafters and vendors set up booths where shoppers could find holiday gifts.  At the Historic Wolf Hotel, representatives from Hands of Hope Rescue attended some four-legged friends in hopes of fulfilling their Christmas wishes of finding forever families.  In a few hours, when the attention of the community turned to the Christmas tree lighting at the Wolf Park bandshell and the many activities at the large tent by the American Legion Post, the space would be transformed into a magical ballroom in time for the Snow Ball.