Questions for
Santa ?
Owens describes life as Kris Kringle
Story by Erin Walden Photo by Bill Hanson
Two things led to Jerry Owens getting his start
in the Santa business . First , his hair started greying when he was in his late 30s , leading many to compare him to the North Pole legend - as well as Kenny Rogers . Second , his Aunt Pat needed a favor .
Owen ’ s aunt taught at Sister of Charity of Nazareth outside of Bardstown , Kentucky and needed a Santa Claus to visit her students that year .
“ I learned after many years of being in the Catholic school , you never tell a nun no ,” Owens said .
On that December day decades ago , Owens put on a Santa suit he ordered from a J . C . Penny catalogue and prepared to greet school children as they came in .
“ One young blonde girl . you could see she was jumping up and down , excited as could be . She screamed ‘ Santa Claus !’”, Owens recalled . “ Instead of following children in line , she shot straight out of line and came running right at me . She got about 7 feet from me and she became airborne . She hugged me real tight , looked up at me with those blue eyes and said ‘ Santa , I love you .’ And that was the beginning of it for me .”
Since that day , Owens has embraced his alter ego . He is a member of Santa America , International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas , Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas , Clan Claus and Knights of St . Columbus . He has been inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame , been awarded the Santa Claus Oath Medal of Honor , is Captain in the Knights of St . Nicholas , and has been awarded The Order of St . Nicholas Medal from the St . Nicholas Institute . He is a Charles W . Howard Santa Claus School for thirteen consecutive years ( 2007-2019 ).
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