Sudbury's downtown Durham Street was packed with holiday shoppers and sight-seers Saturday at the annual Downtown Sudbury Holiday Market. A social media posting said this was the sixth annual such holiday market for the downtown.
The event began Friday, continued through most of Saturday (until 9 p.m.) and will be on again Sunday from noon until 5 p.m.
The weather was a bit overcast and chilly, but most people said that's to be expected on a mid-November afternoon in Northern Ontario. Heavy sweaters, light jackets along with toques, scarves and mitts were in fashion.
But to take the edge off the chill, the market featured half a dozen portable fireplaces and a good supply of firewood. Each firepit was surrounded by comfortable chairs where members of the public were invited to sit for a while and warm up.
Durham Street had the familiar smell of a Northern Ontario wilderness camp. A sound system had most people humming along to their favourite Christmas carols.
Scores of vendors lined the street offering a wide array of holiday gift ideas, along with a selection of foods and beverages.
If there was a winning snack, you might call it a toss up between the tasty tornado potatoes and the Beavertails. There was also maple taffy, maple syrup and kettle corn flavoured popcorn for sale. Children were everywhere excitedly running from booth to booth to see what foods were for sale or what they might convince their parents to buy.
The event also featured a costumed Grinch character who was pleased to talk selfies with folks in the crowd. It seemed lots of market goers were also pleased to take selfies sitting next to a fireplace in downtown Sudbury. Another treat was circus artist Chris Theriault, riding his unicycle and juggling bowling pins.
The event wraps up around 9 p.m. on Saturday and will continue on Sunday.