SELMA, Ind. — 20,000 lights adorn a 20-foot spruce tree outside Selma Community Athletic Park. It was donated by a local farmer, one of many folks who pitched in to help the town celebrate a hopeful end to a difficult year.
Everyone was invited to "Christmas in Selma," where Santa, his reindeer and even the Grinch made an early stop Saturday, per the request of the town's council.
"We started talking that we wanted to bring a little bit of joy back to Selma," said town council member Dale Buffin.
Glittering fire trucks paraded down a street lined with smiling faces. Just nine months ago, those same truck were sent to the same street for a very different reason.
"Clothes flying everywhere, pictures in the farm fields, homes completely flattened — that was so hard," Buffin recalled.
Tornado winds of 120 mph touched at least half of the town's structures, ripping some right from the ground.
"It was just horrible," said town council member Cindy Cox. "Heard all kinds of breaking glass, and within 40 to 45 seconds later it was all done."
Cox said the repairs to her house were just finished in November. She estimated about 90% of the area's major damage has been fixed, thanks to the community's collective efforts.
"We have neighbors that didn't really know each other because we have some new neighbors, and now they check on each other," Cox said. "It's just so nice to see that."
Cox said her town was forever changed by the storm. "Christmas in Selma" was the largest gathering of people in town since the tornado happened. She added it's exactly what the community needed.
"We pulled money out of our own pockets to put deposits down and stuff, then started getting sponsorships," Cox said. "People believed in us."
Community members organized the event the same way they recovered from the tornado — together.
"We still have a few homes that need work, but just the joy that's on people's faces today opposed to the sorrow — I get emotional because it was a hard time," Buffin said. "It's a tight community. I don't know what else to say. Just a good community."
Organizers now plan to make "Christmas is Selma" an annual tradition.