Wednesday, December 21, 2005 — Millsberry is unveiling a brand-new celebration this holiday season - the Winter Festival! To participate in the Winter Festival, all you have to do is browse in Downtown Millsberry's shops between December 21st and January 6th! This includes the clothing store, the grocery store, the furniture store, Peterson's Hardware, the Snack Bar at the Downtown Entertainment Complex, and the Student Store. While you're shopping, keep an eye out for a snowflake token. You can find one snowflake token per day during the festival's two weeks. If you've browsed a shop but haven't found anything, try visiting another shop. Once you've found a token, head to the shop that it corresponds with in order to collect your prize!

The event actually has its origins very far back in Millsberry's history, when it was invented as a way of keeping business steady for merchants during the hard winter months. Millsberry Academy Student Store manager Suzie Johnston happened upon the tradition while writing a report for history class, and she immediately thought that it would also be a great idea for modern Millsberry!

"Back in the old days," Johnston explained, "business would really suffer during the winter, when all the snow would make it hard for everyone to travel to Downtown Millsberry. The merchants decided to hold a festival of sorts, which would stir up some business. They exchanged tokens among themselves and then hid the tokens in their shops. Whenever customers found a token, they could redeem it for a special winter prize!"

Johnston approached a number of Millsberry merchants with her idea, and all of them were very eager to participate. "I think it's a great idea," said Brian Owens, owner of Tricks, Toys & Games. "Not only will it encourage people to do a lot of browsing in the shops, but it'll also give shoppers a reason to visit another shop, after they've found a token! I'm very excited to offer a special wintry toy to anyone who finds a Tricks, Toys & Games token."

"You'll have to use all the brainpower you can muster to find the hidden tokens, so let's hope you're feeling clever," hinted Suzie Johnston.

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December 21st marks the first day of winter. Be sure to stock up on plenty of winter supplies at the shops in Downtown Millsberry. Among the items featured are warm coats and hats, sleds, and snowboards. Don't forget that Police Chief Crow has posted a list of winter safety tips in the Millsberry Police Department. With a bit of preparedness, winter can be a fun and happy season for everyone!