Patrons enjoy gift-buying experiences for holiday weekend,

There were Black Friday sales in local stores, along with multiple gift-buying bazaars, pony cart rides and vintage Christmas gifts for purchase at the Tehachapi Museum during Thanksgiving weekend.

With the feared So Cal Edison high-wind power outage not occurring, there was lots of enjoyment and shopping for visitors and locals in Tehachapi.

Event planners became concerned Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, when So Cal Edison started to notify customers of potential power outages starting as early as Thanksgiving morning and “very possibly extending beyond noon Friday.”

When heavy winds did not materialize, Friday morning became a brisk and robust adventure as shoppers visited stores, church holiday sales, art galleries and antique shops in the city of Tehachapi.

One of the largest gift shopping bazaars was held in Bear Valley Springs. The annual Bear Valley Springs Arts Association Holiday Bazaar had nearly 50 vendors at the Whiting Center. Starting Friday morning, holiday shoppers were in full attendance until closing time nearly eight hours later. Vendors noted sales were outstanding. They anticipated a record shopper turnout on Saturday also.

Saturday saw local church holiday gift sales. The Tehachapi Heritage

League Museum had a unique holiday gift sale with their recently donated vintage Christmas ornament collection.

Fifty years worth of worldwide ornament collecting came out of the attic and storage areas of the Barbara Erdman home. Barbara is the sister of Tehachapi Museum board member Rich Erdman. Upon the death of his sister Barbara, Rich was tasked with cleaning out her home, including her prized Christmas collection. Rich donated the collection, with items numbering in the hundreds, to the museum for its sale as a museum fundraiser.

Saturday afternoon, the Bear Valley Carriage Club hosted a half-dozen decorated carriages. Many of the trained pulling ponies, horses and mules were dressed as reindeer while others had Christmas bells and garland. Each carriage driver gave children rides in the carriages while their photos were taken by a professional photographer.

The four-hour event was festive for children and parents alike, many of whom took a carriage ride.