Rudolph Country Christmas celebrates Purple Heart designation

RUDOLPH – This year’s Rudolph Country Christmas celebration, planned for Saturday, Dec. 13, promises to carry on old traditions and start a few new ones.
Like always, the celebration will include a Christmas parade, the greatly-anticipated Rudolph stamp cancellation, Santa visits, horse-drawn carriage rides, the Run Run Rudolph 5K run/walk and more.
However, it will also span new locations this year, including the village park and the town hall.
“We’re spreading out all over Rudolph, very similar to what we did prior to COVID. Many different sites in Rudolph had activities going on, and so we’re kind of going back to that. But our new main location will be at the village park this year,” Organizer Christy Steinle said. “We also have craft vendors at the town hall in Rudolph, so that would be a new inside location.”
New activities include a wildlife education trailer, fireside stories with Santa’s friends and a petting zoo sponsored by Dairy State Cheese.

Touch of the Wild is an educational trailer which will be set up at the park as part of the new activities for kids during this year’s event. Children will have the opportunity to learn about wildlife in an interactive setting as part of the expanded festivities.
A drone show will also replace the usual fireworks, with about 200 drones deploying from the Rudolph Fire Department at 5:45 p.m. Steinle said she is particularly excited for this new feature.
One of the event’s main fundraisers is the annual basket raffle, which will take place on Main Street between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Steinle said baskets will also be available for purchase on Friday due to the expected congestion on Saturday.
As always, the holiday parade will take place at 6 p.m. on Main Street, led by American Legion Post 485.

Stamp cancellation

Also on Saturday, Dec. 13, the Rudolph Post Office will begin offering its holiday stamp cancellation for 30 days.
Stamp cancellations are generally a plain stamp meant to clearly mark the postage stamp as used, but in 1945, Postmaster Lillian Blonien and an area Girl Scouts troop decided to create a Christmas-themed cancellation stamp to celebrate Rudolph. After a warm reception, the stamp became a yearly tradition — one which students can participate in every year to submit their designs to be considered.
The classic Rudolph stamp cancellation is available year-round, according to former Postmaster Becky Trzebiatowski.
“The stamp says Rudolph, Wisconsin, home of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and it’s got a picture of Rudolph in it with his little nose glowing. It’s a rubber stamp that still gets requested by people when they come into the post office, so that stamp is available all year round in Rudolph, and it’s something special,” she said.
This year’s commemorative stamp, which is available starting Dec. 13 and through the next 30 days, highlights the Purple Heart Village Award received by Rudolph. A Purple Heart Village designation honors military personnel who have been wounded or killed in combat.

The Village Board began the process of applying for the designation about a year ago with the help of American Legion member Rich Cournoyer. Rudolph then became the first Purple Heart Village in the State of Wisconsin. The designation signifies a community’s commitment to recognizing and supporting these veterans and their families.
“Rudolph was one of the first villages that was awarded that Purple Heart Award, and then signs were made and hung on Main Street, and since then, I have seen it in many other cities,” Tzrebiatowski said. “This year, the focus of the Country Christmas was kind of to highlight that special award that Rudolph had received.”
Those interested in receiving a commemorative holiday stamp should send mail orders to the United States Postal Service, Country Christmas Station, 1570 Main St., Rudolph, WI.