Free ornaments will be given to the first 50 customers at Muncy's Holiday Shoppe Hop on Nov. 12. Seven local retail shoppes will be participating in the event.

MUNCY – Seven local businesses from the Muncy area will be participating in a Holiday Shoppe Hop on November 12. This is the first time that this event has been offered according to Sharon Culver, who is organizing the event. All participants will start at the Olde Barn Center in Pennsdale where a Wreath Certificate can be purchased to use at each of the other six locations. “November is Small Business Month and I wanted to do something to promote this,” Culver explained.

Along the trail, visitors will receive a free ornament at each shop. Other participating shops will be The Muncy Bake Shop, Alechia’s House of Country, Lazy Meadows Alpacas, Henny Penny’s Country Store, the Port Penn Peddler and a last stop on Clarkstown Road at “Gatherings at the Muncy Creek Barnworks”, a new business that will have an open house that day. The entire event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A map of the trail and a Wreath Certificate will be available for purchase to the first 50 customers on the “hop” which entitles visitors to receive an ornament and participation in a wreath workshop.

From Pennsdale follow the trail toward Muncy on John Brady Drive to Alechia’s, then head to the bake shop for a sweet treat and the Muncy Main Street shoppes for gift giving ideas and light refreshments.

“Collect all seven ornaments and you can also create a ‘My Favorite Things’ wreath when you get to the Gatherings at Muncy Creek Barn Works,” said Culver who is the owner of the new business and will be conducting the workshop during her open house. She and her husband have restored an early 1800’s Bank Barn where Culver is planning on hosting craft workshops in the near future.

During the Shoppe Hop, a tree can be seen decorated with corn husk angel ornaments at the Barn Works generously donated by class participants during a previous workshop. The ornaments will be offered for sale during the event and the open house. “Each angel is a true piece of folk art with personalities all their own,” explained Culver. “They will grace your home with the blessings of knowing that all proceeds from the sale of each angel is going directly to local flood relief needs,” Culver added. No two ornaments are alike, and they will last for years. Culver collects natural materials to make the corn husk dolls from the fields around her Clarkstown home. She learned the craft, an ancient ceremonial folk art passed down by the Native Americans, from her great aunt, Florence Houseknecht, when she was 15. Her aunt taught art at the Hughesville High School for many years. Culver said she still has that first doll she made, but has definitely improved the craft over the years. “We will be offering this craft again in future workshops,” she said.