photo by: Nick Krug

Hundreds of children, parents and Lawrence residents gather below at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets as Santa Claus is rescued from the roof of Weaver's department store by two Lawrence firefighters in a ladder truck in 2015.

There’s been a Santa Claus rumor floating around the community that is hotter than even the one about a nose so shiny you would even say it glows. There was speculation that the longtime downtown tradition of rescuing Santa from the top of Weaver’s Department Store was ending.

Indeed, there was a time that was a possibility, as the nonprofit entity Downtown Lawrence Inc. decided it no longer wanted to organize and host the event, which also includes a ceremony to turn on the holiday lights in downtown.

But a leader of the Lawrence Central Rotary club has confirmed to me that the club is taking over the event, and it indeed will happen on its traditional date, the day after Thanksgiving.

“I would say it very much was a ‘perfect storm’ kind of moment for the club,” Rotary member Stephen Mason told me. “We want to be part of events like this, and we wanted to make sure this event continued in downtown.”

photo by: Nick Krug

Santa waves to the crowds gathered at Ninth and Massachusetts as he is “rescued” from the roof of Weaver’s Department Store, 901 Massachusetts following his arrival on Friday, Nov. 24, 2012. Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

The Lawrence Central Rotary Club is one of three in Lawrence. All Rotary clubs are nonprofit and service oriented, but the Central Rotary Club has made kids a big part of its mission. The club operates an online publication called Lawrence Kids Calendar that highlights events and activities that are family friendly in the Lawrence area.

The approximately 35-member club thought it was a natural fit for members to be involved in the downtown event because it is exactly the type of event they try to make area residents aware of.

The event will have several parts. An official flipping of the switch will turn on the multitude of holiday lights that are hung from trees, street poles and other structures that line Massachusetts Street. There also will be a letters to Santa program. Children and their families will be able to drop off letters to the jolly elf, and members of the Central Rotary Club will ensure they get answered. Also look for some holiday music and other similar entertainment.

The grand finale of the event, however, will be the Santa rescue. The big guy routinely finds himself stranded on the roof of Weaver’s on the day after Thanksgiving. I’m not sure how many years the event has been held, but it is a decades-long tradition for sure. Members of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical bring a big ladder truck downtown to remove Santa from the multistory Weaver’s building.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Santa waves to the crowd as firefighters lower him down from the roof of Weaver’s Department Store on Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, during the Holiday Lighting Ceremony and Santa Rescue.

Mason said the fire department already has committed to participate in the event, and Weaver’s Department Store also agreed to be a partner again. My understanding is Weaver’s never wavered on the idea of hosting the event, but Downtown Lawrence Inc. made the decision that the event no longer was a great fit for the organization.

Downtown Lawrence Inc., which is supported by member dues and some city funding, generally is regarded as the chief marketing arm for the downtown commercial district. It has long been the organizer of the Downtown Sidewalk Sale, and is a partner on a ton of events that other entities host in downtown. The Santa rescue and lighting ceremony, though, has been one of the organization’s signature events in years past.

Sally Zogry, executive director of Downtown Lawrence Inc., told me the organization and its staff of 1.5 employees needed to prioritize how much time they could spend on various projects.

“That is an event that actually does take a lot of coordination with city departments,” Zogry said. “What we want to focus on is promoting all of downtown for holiday time, for holiday shopping and entertainment.

“That event focuses a lot of attention on one intersection and one block of downtown, and there has never been a good way to kind of spread the love and get things going in every block.”

Most of the event happens at Ninth and Massachusetts streets, which is where Weaver’s is located.

Zogry said Downtown Lawrence Inc. would continue to be a partner in the Lawrence Christmas Parade, which is one of the few all horse-drawn parades in the country. It brings tens of thousands of people to line every block in downtown.

Zogry said the organization also was looking at some other ideas to widely promote downtown for the holiday season.

“We are hopeful we can start some of the promotions a little bit earlier this year,” she said.

As for the Santa rescue and lighting ceremony, festivities are scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 25 near the Ninth and Massachusetts intersection. The Santa rescue usually happens as night falls, normally around 6:30 p.m.

In this file photo from Nov. 27, 2009, Santa climbs down off the roof of Weaver’s during the annual holiday lighting ceremony and Santa Rescue on Massachusetts Street.