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On Friday, Sept. 20, the city announced that the Winter Walk, which took place in Columbia County in Hudson Hall, will not occur in 2024.
The event has taken place the first weekend in December since 1997 on a mile of the city's main thoroughfare. Performers entertain the crowds, shops stay open and serve hot chocolate and whimsical window displays are featured, all to honor a visit from Santa and the winter season.
However, costs have risen over the years until it was about $100,000 to put on the event, according to Hudson Hall.
The Walk grew from humble beginnings when Carole Clark conceived the idea for the event in her restaurant (Charleston, now Baba Louie’s). Together with other founding members, the Walk was born.
“We wanted people to become aware of what was happening in Hudson and on Warren Street,” says Lipsky, who volunteered to coordinate Winter Walk from 1997-2000. “So many incredible shops and talented people had opened businesses.
"People had such a negative view of Hudson, so many people in the county wouldn’t even come to Hudson. We wanted a way to light up the street at night, showcase musicians and performers in a festive way, and for people in the County to see how Hudson was evolving.”
As Hudson’s business district grew, Winter Walk grew with it, eventually expanding to encompass the entire length of Warren Street. And, just as hoped for, as the Warren Street business district came back to life, so did Hudson Hall.
Over the years, Winter Walk has grown in attendance and scope. But Hudson Hall said declining support in the post-pandemic landscape, coupled with rapidly rising costs, created a growing deficit.
By 2023, Winter Walk had become too large for Hudson Hall to produce independently, and the financial deficit was too deep for Hudson Hall to subsidize.
Mayor Kamal Johnson hoped the younger generation would pick the reins and continue the event.
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