OTTAWA — Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce president Tom Weigand said there’s a 50-50 chance that Ottawa’s Victorian Christmas will be back next year. The event’s main four organizers will meet over two meetings this week to decide if they want to continue the event, he said. Last year’s inaugural event, which featured performers acting and singing as Victorian-era characters strolling the downtown area, attracted few visitors because of brutally-cold weather, he said. This year, organizers sought to put more events inside, mostly at the Washburn Towers, the Carnegie Cultural Center and some businesses downtown, he said. The event, which was tied into the annual Christmas parade and the Bethlehem Village this year, attracted more visitors, he said. But it still wasn’t entirely a success in drawing out-of-town visitors, he said. Some organizers think they should cut their losses, but there’s a strong group of supporters who think two times isn’t enough to say the event won’t work, he said. Although it’s associated with the Victorian Christmas, the Ottawa Christmas Parade is separate and will return next year. The parade had 50 entries, a turnout Weigand calls average for the parade.
Monday, Dec. 6, 1 p.m.
