photo by: Contributed photo

This horse-drawn carriage, pictured here in the 2019 Lawrence's Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade, will be carrying riders up and down Massachusetts Street for a few days this holiday season as part of a benefit for the Lawrence Community Shelter.

A new holiday event will be rolling through downtown Lawrence this weekend: carriage rides for a good cause.

Several local businesses, including McGrew Real Estate and the Eldridge Hotel, are partnering to offer the horse-drawn carriage rides on Massachusetts Street as a benefit for the Lawrence Community Shelter. Starting on Sunday afternoon, the carriages will depart from the Eldridge’s valet parking area and travel along Massachusetts Street to 11th Street before returning to the hotel via Vermont Street.

“As a real estate company, when we hear the topic of homelessness and houselessness being a major issue in our community, we need to do something about it,” said Emily Willis Stewart, a McGrew associate broker and one of the organizers of the event. “I believe my neighbors should have the right to be warm.”

Stewart said the streets will still be open to vehicle traffic, but drivers will have to slow down and be patient to accommodate the carriages.

The carriage rides will be offered from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, 4:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17 and 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 22. There is a suggested donation of $8 per person or $30 for a family of four. Rides will be on a first-come, first-served basis, Stewart said.

Prairie Moon Waldorf School Winter Light Faire

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Prairie Moon Waldorf School will be hosting its annual Winter Light Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019.

Make some crafts, eat some soup and see a puppet show this Saturday at Prairie Moon Waldorf School’s annual Winter Light Faire.

Prairie Moon board member Eric Weslander said the event has been a December tradition at the school for more than a decade. The fair will feature face painting, musical performances and a puppet show from the school’s faculty. Attendees can also make their own crafts, such as ornaments and hand-dipped beeswax candles, and there will be soup, homemade pizza and unique handmade gifts for sale.

Prairie Moon currently serves students from early childhood to middle school. It was founded in 2005 and is one of more than 1,000 Waldorf schools nationwide and the only one in Kansas, Weslander said.

Admission is free, but those who are making crafts are asked to donate $10 to cover the cost of materials. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the school, 1853 East 1600 Road.

Graham cracker houses at the library

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Kids can decorate candy houses from 4 to 5 p.m. Dec. 18., 2019, at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., during a free holiday event.

Plenty of gumdrops and peppermint sticks will be available for kids to decorate graham cracker houses next week at the Lawrence Public Library.

“Everyone goes home with a graham cracker house,” said Karen Allen, the library’s youth services coordinator. However, she said the houses might not last long, as all of the materials are edible.

The free event is from 4 to 5 p.m. Dec. 18 at the library, 707 Vermont St.