[218] MTSU Christmas Village scores with children, benefits food pantry

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Children of all ages attended the MTSU Christmas Village featuring Santa, Mrs. Claus and the MTSU farm animals.

Presented by MTSU Agritourism Club, Christmas Village was held Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Tennessee Livestock Center.

For several years, School of Agribusiness and Agriscience faculty member Alanna Vaught’s agritourism class held a Breakfast With Santa event as a class project. Since there was no agritourism class this fall, the agritourism club took it on with a slightly different format but just as much fun.

More than 300 people attended the two-hour event that generated more than 15 boxes of nonperishable food items for the MTSU Student Food Pantry, said Kacey Roberts, a graduate teaching assistant.

“This year’s Christmas Village turned out great,” Roberts said. “We are very thankful to all of our supporters and student volunteers who helped make this event a success. We are excited to begin the planning for next year’s event with hopes of expanding to accommodate a larger crowd.” 

In addition to Santa and Mrs. Claus, this year’s event include a variety of farm animals (cow, donkey, chickens, pigs, goats and rabbits), making crafts and reindeer food, MTSU chocolate milk and cookies, a straw maze and “Little Acres,” an interactive exhibit allowing children to be a farmer for a day, added Roberts, who helped start Breakfast with Santa with Vaught in 2014.

The School of Agribusines and Agriscience is one of 11 departments in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. For more information, call the ag office at 615-898-2523 or the college at 615-898-2613.

MTSU has more than 240 combined undergraduate and graduate programs.