Thanks to the Powell Rotary Club, Santa again arrived downtown by helicopter, rekindling a tradition of his arrival the day after Thanksgiving.

For the last two years, Santa debuted a week later, during Country Christmas celebrations. But the result was that Santa’s arrival was an afterthought instead of the beloved community event it has been for decades. There was too little space and too little for children to do while they waited to see Santa, or after they visited with him.

But, we’re happy to say, that changed on Friday. Santa came to town in style, landing at the city parking lot at Second and Clark streets, then walking with children to The Commons, where he visited and posed for photos with them. As before, table after table after table of crafts were set up for children to enjoy with their parents and grandparents before or after their visits with Santa.

The crowd that gathered to meet Santa when he landed was fairly large, but the one waiting for him at The Commons was huge. People lined up for photos with Santa until about 1 p.m., and every table was a hub of youthful crafting activity, manned by volunteer elves.

Sharon Earhart, who helped organize the event, said the Rotary Club decided to sponsor Santa’s Workshop this year as a community service, and to fly him to town in a helicopter.

Earhart said she talked to several people Friday who said they used to come to Santa’s Workshop when they were children, and now they were able to enjoy the same Christmas tradition with their children.

Melissa Kolacny of Powell was among those who expressed their appreciation for the successful event.

“This is about making memories with your kids,” she said.

Another longstanding holiday event, the Powell Community Thanksgiving Dinner, also was well attended. It provided a place for everyone who needed a place to go, wasn’t able to cook at home, or didn’t want to eat alone.

This year, the dinner was hosted by First Baptist Church, with food provided by several churches; volunteers from around the community helped set up many tables and hundreds of chairs, serve the food and clean up afterward.

People from all walks of life attended — college students, singles, couples, parents and grandparents with children, and seniors. Most had only one thing in common: They were members of the community who came together for a Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings.

The dinner began with a large crowd at 11 a.m. and was still in full swing at noon, and diners continued to arrive until the event concluded around 1 p.m. People left the dinner with full hearts as well as full tummies.

Another slate of Christmas events will happen this weekend with Country Christmas. This year’s theme is “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

A gift show takes place from 2-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Commons, and the Lighted Parade starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday on Bent Street.

A live nativity will be on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on the lawn south of the Powell post office.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” the classic holiday movie that inspired the theme, will show at noon on Saturday at the Vali Twin Cinema as part of the festivities.

The weekend wraps up with the traditional Christmas Tour of Homes from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call the Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce at 754-3494.

We salute the volunteers who work so hard to make these community events happen. They are excellent examples of what makes Powell so much more than just another little town.