Butch Miller of Dublin watched over his grandchildren in the Gainesville square on Saturday evening as they prepared to watch their uncle sing.
Ben Miller, 4, and Ellie Miller, 14 months, were bundled up for Gainesville’s Celebration of the Season, On the Square.
Butch Miller said holiday events such as this make the whole season seem a little more special.
"Some of it brings back memories, and some of it creates new memories," Miller said.
The celebration included unique art displays in the square during the afternoon. The Christmas program featured children’s choruses, songwriters’ medleys and the general public joining in on candlelit caroling in the evening.
Santa Claus also made an appearance, and cozy horse-drawn carriage rides were available.
Allen Nivens, Ben and Ellie’s uncle, said he believes holiday events are what the season is all about.
"Nothing else matters more than this kind of stuff," Nivens said. "Because of kids and family and community — that’s why I live in a small town."
Nivens said he hopes people will have fun and see some talent that they didn’t realize was in Gainesville.
"Hopefully we will all learn some new things and meet some new friends," Nivens said.
Kelly Russo, the event chairwoman, came up with the idea for the debut music celebration from her New Orleans roots.
She participated in a 63-year-old tradition in New Orleans where 6,000 to 8,000 people come together every year for a music gathering. Russo wanted to bring this music tradition to Gainesville.
"I am a violinist and an artist, and I have learned that there are so many musicians here, a lot of talent," Russo said.
Russo wanted to step away from a fundraising aspect and have a venue that was free and during a time that people wouldn’t be working or at school.
"Christmas is very busy, and we put so much emphasis on shopping, and I know in this time, people are not shopping as much, but there’s just a lot of stress," Russo said. "Even when the stress goes away, we are still going to benefit with spending time with each other so we can preserve the real reason of Christmas."
With a variety of genres and seven different artists, the music was diverse and the people creating it were from all over.
"We have a songwriter here from New York, we have someone here from Oklahoma City, and the choir is made up of children who don’t know each other," Russo said.
Russo went to Gainesville and Hall County schools and invited the students to be a part of the event.
"Many of the kids are not part of the chorus at their school, and I wanted to open this up to them," Russo said. "And the parents were asked to stay with the kids during the choir practice, so they got to know each other, and the children got to know each other."
Russo said that she wanted to bring people together who otherwise would never have crossed paths.
Caitlin Miller, 13, Tamarra Smith, 12, Stacie Allen, 11, Kenzy Thompson, 12, and Karen Zavala, 11 were practicing singing "Mary Did You Know" before they went on stage Saturday evening.
Kenzy’s mom informed some of the girls about the event, and they gladly accepted.
"I’ve wanted to get into acting, so my mom thought that this would be a big deal for me," she said.
Tamarra said that singing helps bring out the Christmas season for her.
All of the girls enjoyed participating in the music gathering, which Russo hopes will become a Gainesville tradition for many years to come.