Weihnachtsfest Christmas Festival

Vendors, carriage rides and the Lighted Christmas Parade will kick off the Christmas season on Saturday, November 25. The conclusion of this celebration will be on December 16 with the drawing of the Santa winner. RMSI will be promoting all Christmas related events throughout that month period of time and highly encourage events to be hosted.

Weihnachtsfest has proven to be a fun festive event for everyone. The event will take place from 4 to 7 PM on the afternoon of November 25. There will be vendors on Main Street, carriage rides, extended store hours for holiday shopping, the retail Christmas promotion, wine, craft beer tasting and more. RMSI is eager to celebrate the 31st year of Weihnachtsfest, but more importantly, they are eager to showcase the Russell community during the holidays.

In addition to the kickoff of Weihnachtsfest, the Lighted Christmas Parade is a big tradition of Russell that brings many people to downtown Russell while promoting local businesses. The Lighted Christmas Parade will start on November 25 at 7:15 PM in downtown Russell. Community members line the streets to see the Christmas lights come to life for the start of the holiday season. The parade then consists of lighted floats organized by community organizations with the finale of the famous Old Saint Nick. RMSI is really hoping to reach out to more individuals and have the best turnout for the community. Civic organizations, businesses, individuals, and anyone can enter the parade.

This year's theme is Drilling Through Time, 100 Years of Oil. RMSI has collaborated with the Russell County Historical Society to highlight the 100-year anniversary of oil discovery in Russell County. On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1923, the Carrie Oswald #1 was the first oil well to hit in Russell County. They are celebrating the progression of the oil industry in the county. Without oil discovery, Russell may not be what it is today.