Santa and His Reindeer to Arrive Saturday at Peoples Bank in Waukee

It started as out as a marketing gimmick, but has now become a tradition.

Santa Claus and his reindeer, an annual holiday event at , will be back Saturday for the fifth year in a row.

Nicole Grove-Fuller, assistant vice president of retail banking at Peoples, said she originally invited Santa and his real reindeer to drive traffic to the bank on  University Avenue in Waukee.

"We wanted to do something to draw attention to the bank," Grove-Fuller said. "When I was growing up in Guthrie Center, my mom would always take us down to this little bank in my hometown to see Santa Claus. I thought, 'What better way to bring people in than to have Santa and his reindeer here?' So that's what we did."

For five years, Santa and Mrs. Claus and a real reindeer (a large antlered buck) have stopped by Peoples with their sleigh and a whole lot of holiday fun. There are cookies and hot chocolate and reindeer dust for the kids to take home.The kids get the chance to tell Santa what they want and parents have the chance to check out the bank.

"We have this really nice bank and it's hard to get people in to see it with the kind of traffic we get on University," Grove-Fuller said. "This gives us a chance to show people how nice and homey it feels here. It's also another way we can give back to the community."

Santa and his reindeer will be at Peoples Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to stop by to see St. Nick, grab a hot cocoa and a cookie and vote for their favorite artwork in the Peoples Trust & Savings Bank coloring contest.

Attendees are also asked to bring donations for the Santa for Soldiers 2011 Care Packages.

Grove-Fuller said last year's visit drew more than 350 people to the bank. This year, weather willing, they hope attendance tops 400.