Bluegrass Santas is the organization of Mr. Claus and his wife.
“Christmas love, love for children, this is part of it,” said a Santa Claus Kevin Bowles. “If you have this in your heart, then you can be a member of this group.”
They are ready for dressing during the holiday season, such as nursing homes and shopping centers, but this is a year of performance, sticking to the North Pole. Some group members attended the seminar and the “talk shop” together on Saturday.
“Where did you buy these boots? I like your clothes, how can you get it, how do you make your beard white?” Bowers said. “Then we talk about war stories, what are our good times, what our bad times are, just through fellowship and learning transactions and our experiences – it’s a wonderful time. You will hear some interesting stories.”
In this organization alone there are more than 60 Santa Claus, and there are more Santa Claus, even abroad – the real Bearded Santa International Brotherhood.
Those who met on Saturday are familiar with getting some attention.
“Get gas – you react,” Bowers said. “You get out of the car, walk and pay for the petrol. Everyone has a little look at you, like ‘What is Santa doing here?’
Santa began to do business, experienced the problems that children might ask, and offered ideas to each other on how to get better in the transaction.
“We are trying to educate. We are trying to make sure everyone does the same thing. We want to maintain a proper image,” said another Santa Tom Dobbins.
Through this, their goal is to spread magic and happiness.
“The only thing a child can hear every year is that he is talking to Santa, or she is talking to Santa,” Dobbins said. “So we never tell them they are naughty. We always praise them. Now, if they are naughty, then you are, you know you can do better.”
“I didn’t expect ‘I will be a member of a big Santa Claus group 10 years later.’ You started because you like to see the expression on children’s faces,” Bowers said. “I am a prop. The most important thing is to express the child’s face in the picture. This is what it means.”
Some of the bluegrass Santas visited the Corvette Museum later that day and completed their trip. They will meet again in September soon as they prepare for the inevitable busy Christmas.
