Bill Ryan/The Gazette The Grinch greets people on East Patrick Street in Frederick on Frosty Friday, November 28, 2008. |
The Grinch and charity seem to contradict each other, unless you saw what the Grinch was doing on Frosty Friday in Frederick.
The Grinch lent his distinctive green face to popularize a toy drive operated by Boy Scout Troop 81762 of New Market.
Troop leaders Kim Felix and Traci Stupp followed the Grinch as he talked to passersby, handing out candy canes with cards that had a poem, describing his less-than-diabolical activities.
According to the poem, the Grinch, unable to halt the advance of the Christmas season, decided to put his stamp on it with the green candy canes.
Felix said troop members had been looking for different ways to serve the community, and when they called the Downtown Frederick Partnership, which sponsors Frosty Friday, they volunteered to escort the Grinch in exchange for some publicity for the drive.
"We're going to be hitting all of Frederick," Felix said.
The Downtown Frederick Partnership organizes Frosty Friday, a day on which stores and restaurants hold special events to attract customers on what is historically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Events included appearances from the Grinch and Frosty the Snowman to holiday music, and free hot cocoa — all topped off with a visit from Santa Claus on a horse-drawn carriage.
Helping Troop 81762 wasn't the only seemingly inconsistent behavior the tall, lime-green miser exhibited on Friday.
He had been wandering from restaurant to restaurant at breakfast time, making conversation with the customers — obviously a less antisocial creature than Dr. Seuss made him out to be.
"He was being very un-Grinchlike," said Greg Bender, a barista at Café Nola on Patrick Street. Bender noted that the Grinch came into the restaurant shortly after it opened and engaged its patrons in seemingly pleasant conversation.
Rich Jackson, the owner of Beans N Bagels, also on Patrick Street, said the Grinch was one of his many guests on the busy Friday morning.
At 11 a.m., Jackson noted that he had had a steady stream of customers since he brought the newspapers in at 7:15 a.m. "I haven't stopped," he said.
The Grinch arrived promptly at 8 a.m., and chatted with a few of Jackson's customers. "I asked him if he would come back when I had some kids [in the restaurant,]" Jackson said.
Meanwhile, the Frederick Arts Council held a wreath exhibit that offered something for everybody.
Little boys wowed over a wreath made of Legos. Little girls swooned over the "Celebrate your Home" wreath, spun out of delicate white and blue ribbons and sprinkled with miniature wall mirrors and table lamps.
Adults also found wreaths to enjoy, especially one called "It's OK to be a couch potato," featuring a jumbo TV remote control, packs of microwaveable popcorn, Twizzlers, Hershey bars and a miniature couch.
"They are all so nice, so creative," said Nancy Pollak, who walked through the exhibit with her three children on Friday.
"We don't do Black Friday at the mall," Pollak said. "We like to support the downtown businesses.
Pollak and dozens of other visitors came to the Frederick Art Council's annual Artist Market held on Frosty Friday at the Frederick Cultural Arts Center.
Featuring handmade jewelry, photography and other crafts, the event gives artists an opportunity to showcase their art and start off their holiday sales, said Jennifer Dobbins, facility manager for the Cultural Arts Center.
By 11 a.m. Friday, the center had a constant flow of visitors, coming to look at the wreath exhibit and start their Christmas shopping early.
"When the economy is bad, people focus on local art," Dobbins said. "I've noticed more people coming in a participating in events."
This year, organizers also added a new twist to the event — they paired it with the Frederick Festival of Greens wreath exhibit.
As the latest project of the Frederick Arts Council, the exhibit displayed more than 70 Christmas wreaths, made by local artists, organizations and businesses.
Like the Frederick Keys and Art is a Ball exhibits organized by the council, the wreath project encouraged groups, businesses and individuals to unleash their imagination and create wreaths, to showcase their industry, their business or their passions.
A wreath for a pet store, for example, was decorated with dog cookies. Another one was decked in computer parts and wrapped in computer wires.
The wreaths were auctioned at a silent auction during the festival. The auction will continue by phone until 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Art Council will use proceeds from the auction to boost up its Community Art Development grant, which benefits local art initiatives, Dobbins said.
"We had $12,000 cut from the state this year and we were hoping to supplement that," she said.
Many visitors on Friday bid on their favorite wreaths and by 11:30 a.m. at least one of the wreath's prices had gone up to $70.
Jason and Monica Spilis of Frederick, however, didn't come to the exhibit to buy a wreath. Instead, they saw it as a lesson in creativity for their two sons Brandon and Joe.
"They get to see you can do extraordinary things with everyday object," Jason Spilis said. "It's so much better than shopping after Thanksgiving."
Help Scouts collect toys
What: Boy Scout Troop 81762 toy drive
Where: Café 611, 611 N. Market St., Frederick
When: 1-3 p.m. Dec. 14
Café 611 will give those who donate a toy a 10 percent discount on their food order, and all toys are being collected for the annual Toys for Tots drive.
