Minnesota Prairie Roots

Mike Fuchs guides his team of horses southbound on Central Avenue in historic downtown Faribault late Saturday afternoon.

BELLS JINGLED AS HORSES clopped along Faribault’s Central Avenue late Saturday afternoon pulling Santa’s Wagon, although Santa was missing.

Traffic jammed and shoppers paused to watch.

And occasionally along the route, Mike Fuchs reined his team to a halt for exiting and boarding passengers.

The horses trod past aged buildings and the recently-refurbished Security Bank Building clock.

Time slowed for drivers trailing Santa’s Wagon. But no horns honked.

For a few hours on a December Saturday afternoon, time flashed back to yesteryear, to days when horse power truly meant horse power.

It is good to slow down, to travel at the pace of a horse’s stride, to listen to the repeat rhythm of hooves upon pavement, to hear sleigh bells ring.

There is time in the haste of life, in the crazy busyness of the Christmas season, for a horse-drawn wagon ride.

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Check back for more weekend holiday stories in and around Faribault, including a precious portrait you won’t want to miss tomorrow.

© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling