MARYSVILLE — Santa Claus was a busy guy in Marysville on Saturday, Dec. 1, as he posed for photos not only at the Carabinieri Bar espresso stand for the “Passport to Christmas” and in Comeford Park for “Merrysville for the Holidays,” but also at the Marysville Mall to help raise funds for the Marysville Historical Society.

“The fun thing about this is that we’ve had a lot of repeat customers,” MHS President Ken Cage said. “A number of kids have come all four years that we’ve had this, but we’ve also had some newcomers this year, who saw the story in The Marysville Globe.”

The Santa photo sales were supplemented that day by a bake sale and a raffle prize table, with Cage bragging that the brownies, cookies, fudge and other baked goods were all handmade by MHS members.

“With $50 from raffle ticket sales, $20 in goodies sold and about 50-60 kids who came in, I’m guessing we probably made around $400 all told,” MHS Treasurer Meg Engelter said that afternoon, even as families continued to come in for their Santa photos. “By gathering up their emails, we hope to be able to let them know next year when we offer Santa photos again.”

Engelter and Marysville City Council member Steve Muller, also a Board member of the Marysville Historical Society, agreed that the primary fundraising focus for the MHS remains its long-awaited museum and community center.

“It’s going to be more than a museum,” said Muller, who noted that the hearing examiner will review the conditional use permit for the facility at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13.

City of Marysville officials and representatives of local service clubs joined MHS members in breaking ground at the site for the facility, adjacent to the Jennings Park Barn area, on Aug. 25 of this year.

Muller touted the facility’s planned 200-person grand hall, which he sees as a means of turning it into a center of social and cultural activity, which in turn could provide its own revenue stream.

“We won’t have to go out of town for our big celebrations,” Muller said.

In the meantime, one of the Marysville Historical Society’s most pressing needs is more volunteers, so those who are interested or would like more information should call Cage at 360-659-3090.

The Marysville Historical Society is located in Suite B at 1508 Third St.