Explaining how the old Country Christmas became ChristmasFest in Powell is what Shelby Wetzel calls a “full circle experience.”

The hometown shopping and entertainment event began about 1985 as a way for the community to celebrate the holidays. It was set for the first weekend of December and was originally Dickens-themed with a Wyoming flair.

“They all wore long dresses and bonnets,” said Wetzel, the president of the Plaza Diane Board of Directors. And for years it was just a weekend event.

Over time, however, the event spread out to include Sample the Season and Santa’s Workshop and operated on multiple weekends.

Country Christmas was a committee of the Chamber of Commerce, Wetzel said, founded on the idea that at the end of 20 years, the leaders would turn it over to new leadership.

Wetzel was committee chair by then, in 1996. Her mother, Diane Bonner, for whom Plaza Diane was named, was one of the event founders.

Somehow, the chamber wound up running the event. Later, the new chamber director did not want the responsibility and farmed the various segments out to willing organizations.

“When they [the organizers] were independent, they could focus,” Wetzel said. But as disparate groups took over various portions of the event, focus dwindled.

“Like everything there are times when in the ebb and flow, it’s time to rethink and revitalize,” Wetzel said.

So it is that the annual holiday celebration has come under the leadership of Plaza Diane and has a new name — ChristmasFest. The name was selected and voted on by the Plaza Diane board.

“We want to play up the community center identity,” Wetzel said. So with the rebranding and new name, plans are to refresh the holiday activities, using food and entertainment in a festival atmosphere.

This year, of course, is a tough go of it, because of the limitations set in place to keep residents safe from the novel coronavirus. But that is not slowing the Plaza Diane board of directors down one bit.

“We have the vision for new activities that won’t come to pass this year,” Wetzel said. But those activities aren’t just relegated to the end-of-year holidays.

Hopes are to bring back the Octoberfest that was once a mainstay of downtown Powell calendars in addition to rebooting ChristmasFest. 

“If we can put our energy into the rebranding and rebuilding, we can revitalize the holiday activities for the community,” Wetzel said.