- The Unwrapping Door County event took place on Friday evening. It began during the pandemic and the event has become very popular.
- Shop owner, Todd Trimberger says the event is magical. He even compares the festivities to a Hallmark movie.
- Shop owner Pat Fuge says it is a very important event for the community..
The Holidays kick off in door county. The Unwrapping Sturgeon Bay event is an evening for the community and businesses to ring in the season.
Todd Trimberger owns Bliss at the Marketplace in downtown Sturgeon Bay where businesses wrap up their front windows with gift wrapping and when a special guest, Santa Claus, drives by for the parade, the businesses unwrap their stores.
"Unwrapping the windows allows the world to see this year's Christmas Holiday display," Trimberger says. "It's magical, it is magical."
The event makes for quite a scene.
“This is like a hallmark movie, and it really is," said Trimberger.
Just down the festive road, Pat Fuge owns the Gnoshery. He takes part in the event for the love of his town.
"It's part of us being part of the community," Fuge said. "There's energy in the holidays, but it's also to show the community that we are part of you. Together we are something bigger than we are by ourselves."
Part of that community are long time locals Mike Martens and his wife, Liz. Mike says the unwrapping is great, but the star of the show is even greater.
"I just love it when Santa drives up and goes, 'Ho ho ho'," said Martens. "I'm like, 'Hey Santa! How's it going?'."
After Santa drives by, a parade of cars follows as visitors and locals walk the streets checking out the freshly unwrapped windows. Todd says it's truly an event that marks the start of Christmas-time.
"Everybody cheers and my staff is all excited and we have friends that come in for the evening," said Trimberger. "It's like that's the moment... and the season starts."
The holiday weekend in sturgeon bay is not over. Still to come is the official Christmas By the Bay Parade and plenty of other events. More information on the festivities can be found here.
