The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie Jacob Currence give Snikle the Elf a hat fitting for his big debut on Saturday during the Blue Christmas Celebration in Elfkins event.

ELKINS — A new magical mascot, Snikle the Elf, is coming to “Elfkins” to help ring in and celebrate the holiday season.

For the third year in a row, Elkins will once again become “Elfkins” for the entire month of December and, according to Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, there are several new additions to the Elfkins celebrations this year, such as the Blue Christmas Celebration in Elfkins this Saturday, a new miniature elf village built by students of the Randolph Technical Center, and a new Elfkins mascot, Snikle the Elf.

“I just kind of thought we needed a mascot to represent what we’re doing here at Elfkins,” Marco told The Inter-Mountain this week. “I was talking to a friend of mine who is a contractor for Thrasher Group and she’s like, ‘I love that. We might be able to sponsor that for you.”

Named by Elkins City Police Department Chief Travis Bennett, Snikle – which is Elkins spelled backwards – was designed and created by Jacob Currence with the Old Brick Playhouse, who said he was approached by Marco

“Funnily enough, I know the mayor was searching and he was looking at a place down in Charleston and then he was talking to Missy McCollam at the Old Brick and she brought up that we have a puppet builder in town and that I could do that,” Currence told The Inter-Mountain when asked how he was picked to create Snikle. “I know that the mayor is really wanting Elfkins to be very centered around Elkins and people from the area, and so I think that’s how I got tapped on the shoulder for that.”

Currence, who has a masters in costume design and technology, and ran the Puppet Mobile at West Virginia University, said that Snikle is “just a chill little guy” with brown eyes, a little green tunic with a hat to match and a sash with his name printed on the front.

Snikle will make his first appearance at the City of Elkins’ Blue Christmas Celebration in Elfkins, which will honor the Elkins Police Department and Elkins Fire Department, on Saturday staring around 5:30 p.m.

Snikle will be cutting the ceremonial ribbon to open the new Elfkins elf village at Darden Garden, next to Elkins City Hall.

“I believe he’s going to cut the ribbon for the elf village and he’s also going to be making his big debut, so it’s a big day for him,” Currence said. “So, he’s been doing his pushups and eating lots of gingerbread in preparation for it.”

When asked if Snikle will turn up at any other events this holiday season, Marco said he believed so.

“I do believe Snikle will be making appearances throughout the entire month of December,” Marco said. “So, you just never know where Snikle is going to show up.”