The cheers from farther up the street gave it away. It was the end of the parade and Santa was making his way toward the square, soon to take his place in that familiar brown cabin on the square.
Arriving in a carriage pulled by two white horses and with a driver in black top hat, Santa was swarmed as he joined the crowd around the cabin. After passing out candy and shaking hands, the jolly old man quickly settled in and got down to business in his cabin, a place where he has listened to Christmas wishes of young and old for the past 75 years.
First in the door were Desiree Almstrom, 9, and her cousin, Brooklyn Tasker. They had claimed their spot in front of the cabin at 8 a.m., well before the parade, when there was little stirring downtown.
"I've done it (seen Santa at the cabin) since I was 1," said Almstrom, of Hanover. "I always try to be first but never got it before. I asked for a Monster High doll and a stuffed puppy, not much."
Brooklyn's father, Toby Tasker, said he came to the cabin when he was a child and was now starting the tradition for Brooklyn, who was making her first visit.
Many in line to see Santa, with their children in their arms or in strollers, were continuing a tradition that dates back to 1937 in Hanover.
"I came here as a kid," said Faye Esquivel, who with her husband Johnny, brought their sons, Ian, 4, and Sydney, 9, and daughter, Isa, 7.
The family was at the end of the morning line that stretched around the corner onto the sidewalk along Baltimore Street.
"This is where the real Santa sits. That's why we come back here," Faye Esquivel said. "This is our first time coming on Black Friday. We came for the festivities."
Those festivities included a parade that featured gymnasts, antique cars and firetrucks, decorated bikes, South Western High's marching band and floats. There were activities throughout the day, including face painting, cookie decorating, a magic show, ice sculpting and self-guided
In the afternoon, seven teams criss-crossed downtown as part of the second annual Holidaze Scramble, an "Amazing Race" styled event.
Coordinated by Saturdays on Main Street (SMS) and the Hanover Chamber, the event challenged participants to figure out clues and then photograph notable downtown locations as quick as they could.
This year's winning team was the "I Don't Knows," made up of Kristin Newman and her sons, Ben and Tyler, and Emily Crouse.
The secret to their success, they said, was to go over the clues first and then devise a route that eliminated backtracking.
"And then we ran and ran and ran," Kristin Newman said. "It was a beautiful day. It beat sitting at home."
Kristin
"Last year, we didn't have water and we were parched," she said. "This year, we were prepared. We had water bottles."
The team took pictures of the old firehouse on Chestnut Street, inside Hanover News Agency on Baltimore Street, and the former elementary school on Centennial Avenue among other places.
"We learned about our town. It was a great history lesson for the kids," Kristin Newman said.
The second-place finishers were "Just the Two of Us" team of Jodi and Alyssa Wendel. Finishing third was the "Thuderbolts," consisting of Stacee, Alexee and Tyler Coffin.
In addition to bragging rights, the "I Don't Knows" won $200 in "chamber dollars," good at participating businesses in town.
The team celebrated their finish with high-fives and a couple of chest bumps between the brothers. They then voted to stay downtown and go to Merlin's Coffee for victory smoothies.
"I'm going to do it again next year," Crouse said.
