How to enjoy the Sherman Woods Christmas display from a horse-drawn carriage

Laura Fitzgerald, Port Huron Times Herald
·3 min read
Sherman Woods Association president Fred Kemp demonstrates how to make the colorful Christmas decorations at the neighborhood on the northside of Port Huron on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. The colorful decorations are strung up in trees by neighbors every year to attract passerbys to leave a donation in a Salvation Army red kettle.
Sherman Woods Association president Fred Kemp demonstrates how to make the colorful Christmas decorations at the neighborhood on the northside of Port Huron on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. The colorful decorations are strung up in trees by neighbors every year to attract passerbys to leave a donation in a Salvation Army red kettle.

Sherman Woods visitors can make their jingle bell dreams come true with a ride through Christmas light displays in a two-horse open sleigh this year.

Majestic Heart Carriage Rides will offer 20-minute carriage rides through the Port Huron neighborhood for riders to enjoy Sherman Woods' holiday light display, making memories that will last for a lifetime.

"I just want (carriage riders) to feel the joy of the holiday," said Kim Schultz, who owns the carriage company with her husband Bill.

The carriage can seat up to four adults and the ride cost $50. The rides will be offered from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 2-3; 9-10; and 16-17. To reserve your ride, call (810) 310-0827 or message their Facebook page at Majestic Heart Carriage Rides.

Kim and Bill Schultz began using their horses for hayrides at their haunted house, but quit the haunted house when their children went to college and it became too much for the couple.

The couple began offering carriage rides on Thomas Edison Parkway in summer 2021. They have also offered carriage rides at Port Huron's Chilly Fest and at Santa parades in Capac and Imlay City.

Every year, homeowners in the Port Huron neighborhood of Sherman Woods hang balls made from Christmas lights and set up Christmas decorations in their neighborhood.
Every year, homeowners in the Port Huron neighborhood of Sherman Woods hang balls made from Christmas lights and set up Christmas decorations in their neighborhood.

The couple owns five horses that they keep on their farm in Capac. Kim said she has had a lifelong passion for horses, and loves each of her animals' different personalities.

Misty, a 17-year-old Quarter Horse-Halflinger cross and one-half of the team that will be pulling carriages at Sherman Woods, is quiet and shy. In contrast, Parker, an 18-year-old Pony of the Americas and Percheron cross and Misty's teammate, loves the camera and being the center of attention.

Both Misty and Parker are part draft horses, so they are built to pull carriages, Schultz said.

Majestic Heart Carriage Rides began offering rides along Thomas Edison Parkway in Port Huron in summer 2021.
Majestic Heart Carriage Rides began offering rides along Thomas Edison Parkway in Port Huron in summer 2021.

"They're both work horses," Schultz said. "This is what they do, they pull."

A Christmas tradition

Visitors and carriage riders will have the opportunity to see the glowing balls that Sherman Woods is famous for in December. Fred Kemp, president of the Sherman Woods Association, said homeowners will string up more than 100 balls this year.

The decorated chicken wire Christmas balls made Sherman Woods Association president Fred Kemp in the northside neighborhood of Port Huron on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. The colorful decorations are strung up in trees by neighbors every year to attract passerbys to leave a donation in a Salvation Army red kettle.
The decorated chicken wire Christmas balls made Sherman Woods Association president Fred Kemp in the northside neighborhood of Port Huron on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. The colorful decorations are strung up in trees by neighbors every year to attract passerbys to leave a donation in a Salvation Army red kettle.

The tradition began around 12 or 13 years ago, when one homeowner saw a video on how to make the balls from chicken wire and Christmas lights. Other homeowners took notice of the decoration and a group decided to make the balls on a bigger scale. The tradition has been growing ever since, Kemp said.

To get the balls over tall branches, some homeowners use what are called line launchers. Homeowners use the six-foot sling shot to shoot a weighted line over tall tree branches.

“We use the line to hoist the ball in to the tree with lots of extension cords and a little bit of luck," Kemp said.

Every year, homeowners in the Port Huron neighborhood of Sherman Woods hang balls made from Christmas lights and set up Christmas decorations in their neighborhood.
Every year, homeowners in the Port Huron neighborhood of Sherman Woods hang balls made from Christmas lights and set up Christmas decorations in their neighborhood.

Kemp said the annual tradition is a fun project for neighbors and shares the holiday spirit with the wider community.

“It's been a very rewarding experience," Kemp said.

For the last five years, the association has also placed a Salvation Army red kettle in the neighborhood to collect donations for the nonprofit's annual Christmas campaign. Some neighbors get into the holiday spirit by dressing up in fun costumes such as snowmen and bunnies.

Salvation Army bell ringers and Santa man the red kettle in Sherman Woods in Port Huron
Salvation Army bell ringers and Santa man the red kettle in Sherman Woods in Port Huron

This year, the bell will be available in the neighborhood from 6 to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in December through Christmas Eve. Kemp said while the exact dates are still being determined, Santa and the Salvation Army band might pay a visit.

The Christmas decorations in the neighborhood will be lit starting the first week in December.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: How to enjoy the Sherman Woods Christmas display from a horse-drawn carriage