Katie would love this. Probably almost as good as the naked cowboy in Times Square!
GRUENE — Cowboy Kringle will saunter in on horseback Saturday evening, lighting the downtown area and distributing candy canes to young fans. Historic Gruene’s equestrian version of Santa Claus, clad in red chaps and cowboy gear, is scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m.
“A lot of families make this a tradition,” said Mary Jane Nalley, event coordinator. “It’s pretty cool — just a big crowd that gathers around.”
Generally, she said, a few hundred people turn out for the cowboy’s arrival, with children growing visibly animated as he and his horse clip-clop onto the scene.
“The kids kind of scramble for him,” Nalley said, laughing. “It’s cute, not really a traditional setup; they’re saying, ‘make way for Santa, he’s going to give us a candy cane.’”
Photographs with Cowboy Kringle, set outside the Gruene General Store, are a daytime affair and available prior to the light ceremony from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Walk-up packages from Action Photo start at about $14 and are shot each weekend until Christmas.
“A lot of people drive down from San Antonio and Austin to get their picture taken,” said photographer Jennifer Rich. “We get whole families, even teenage kids with their parents, and of course a never-ending flow of children.”
Rich said choice poses — and subjects — are a varied mix.
“Everyone sits around how they want to,” she said. “Little ones give him a hug. The best, though, is when people bring their animals.”
Rich, who has borne witness to ferrets and other pets posing with the Christmas cowboy, said he is “good with all ages, all types and all species.”
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