Petoskey‘s Open House

Nov. 29, 2009

Petoskey’s Holiday Open House: Dedicated to Tradition
By Kristi Kates
Back in the early ’80s, several businesses on Petoskey’s Mitchell street teamed up to host a Christmas Sale night from The Circus Shop to J.C. Penney. From that simple idea evolved what is now Petoskey’s famed Holiday Open House - although it had to go through a couple of other incarnations before it arrived at its current status as a favorite regional event.
“I have heard stories that the open house night used to be by invitation only, and that favored clientele were treated to elegant entrees and beverages,” Becky Goodman of the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce recollects, “The Gaslight Association, who are no longer in operation, organized it for several years. But since the mid-’90s, it’s been an official Downtown Management Board event organized and sponsored in contract with the Chamber. The concept, though, has remained the same: to host the community, thank them for their patronage throughout the year, and entice them with holiday gift possibilities.”

PETOSKEY AND BEYOND
Not just a Petoskey event, the Petoskey Holiday Open House now attracts celebrants from Harbor Springs, the Boynes, East Jordan, Charlevoix, Alanson, Traverse City, Gaylord and beyond, and for a lot more than just shopping bargains. Petoskey pulls out all the stops when it comes to celebrating the season.
Dozens of merchants get into the holiday spirit, with open doors, Santa hats, hors de’ouvres, hot beverages, sales and specials, and even entertainment. The streets of downtown Petoskey are shut down to car traffic, and filled with people bundled in winter coats, hats, and mittens, greeting friends and juggling packages.
The smell of hot foods fills the air, from popcorn to the famed local bratwurst; and several steel drum fires also burn brightly on the downtown streets, heating up giant iron pots of chili and soups.
Speaking of steel drums, they’ll be back in another incarnation, too, along with another surprise.
“The perennially popular Petoskey High School Steel Drum Band will be back, and we are also planning something new this year,” Goodman explains, “we are having a Clash of the Choirs - we are inviting as many local choirs as we can get to come to perform in the streets and sing it out until there is a winner.”

DETERMINED FESTIVITIES
And much like the postal service, the Petoskey Open House goes on in rain, sleet, or snow.
“To my knowledge, we have never cancelled the event because of weather - it’s pretty hard to cancel a party when you have literally invited the entire community,” Goodman laughs. “We also have many, many people who arrive annually from downstate to the event. In 2007, we had a pretty serious storm; we had numerous phone calls asking about cancelling, but we planned to go ahead. And we had a huge turnout - it seemed like the seasonal weather helped put people in the mood and they showed up in droves.”
Part of that beauty is the traditional lighting of the Petoskey holiday tree; an event that happens in towns all across Northern Michigan, to be sure, but perhaps not with as large an audience as the Petoskey Open House draws each year.
“I am connected to people who run downtown holiday programs all over the country, and I know very well that there are many events held that are much like ours in communities in every single state,” Goodman says, “they are always much loved events - it’s something you just can’t get at the mall. But Petoskey’s event is unique for a couple of reasons. One, it has just gone on for so many years. It is very common to talk to people who remember attending as children, getting dressed up and shopping for their parents’ holiday gifts on that night. It is a well established tradition that happens the same way, year after year.”

HARBOR SPRINGS TOO
One week after the Petoskey Open House, neighboring Up North community Harbor Springs does its holiday thing, too, with their Annual Merchants Holiday Open House on December 12. This will be the first year that the Harbor Springs event has been scheduled on a Saturday in an effort to accommodate friends and family from out of town.
Shopping events, complimentary appetizers at most shops, and extended shopping hours are all part of the Harbor Springs fun. Harbor’s event is well-known for its gourmet snacks, white-lit downtown trees, and the spontaneous appearances of troupes of carollers, as well as, of course, the yearly lighting of the holiday tree that is placed directly in the middle of Harbor Springs’ Main Street in a specially-outfitted section of the road.
The tree lighting is a highlight of most local holiday open house events - Petoskey’s being no exception.
“I do really like the tree lighting when Santa waves his hand and the lights go on,” Goodman continues, “but after five years, I don’t really have a favorite part of the event. Maybe the best part is just the fact that everyone is having so much fun.”