The Lake Central Theater Company filled Strack and Van Til in Schererville with the sounds of Christmas carols on Dec. 20. This fundraiser is one of the only fundraisers the theater company does during the winter.

“[Caroling at Strack and Van Til] is really weird and really awkward at first because everybody is checking out and they are staring right at you, but then they donate money so it’s okay,” Rachel Dobias (12) said.

Some, like Dobias, have gone to this annual event multiple times. However, caroling in the middle of a grocery store was a new experience for some of the underclassmen, especially the freshmen.

“It was my first time going, and I really liked going because it was a lot of fun, and I liked singing with my friends in a place that’s not really a singing environment,” Adam Gustas (9) said.

By the end of the night, the theater company had collected over $300 in donations.The head store manager even dropped a check that was worth $75 into the donation bag. After the caroling had come to a close, the manager invited them to come back and sing more for them next year.