Candy shop collects coats, offering sleigh rides

Sweetly Kismet Candy Store, of Carlton, and Top Hat Carriage Service, a tour operator in Canal Park, are working together to gather adult and teenage winter gear for local homeless shelters.

New or gently used winter jackets, snow pants, or boots can be brought to the candy store in Carlton and parlayed into discounts for on-site sleigh rides.

Donations will take 50 percent off admission cost for horse-drawn sleigh rides through the shop’s winter trail in the pines, a news release said this week.

Boots are the top need at this time. Items will be collected Dec. 9-18 at the candy store.

All items collected will be distributed to CHUM and Lifehouse Center for Vital Living in Duluth, where officials are currently serving hundreds of folks who are unsheltered.

Sweetly Kismet Candy Store is located off Interstate 35 at 1707 Highway 210 in Carlton. Friday collection times are 4-8 p.m., while Saturday collections run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sleigh rides are approximately 15 minutes in length, and come with hot chocolate, popcorn, and hotdogs or marshmallows to roast over a fire. Admission is $20 per adult, $10 for children ages 4-15, and free for children 3 and under. Each rider must bring in a donation to receive 50 percent off sleigh ride admission. There are no reservations necessary.