Parks and Recreation Offers Holiday Cheer at Holiday Fest Events
The Town of East Hartford Parks and Recreation Department and the Beautification Commission presented a weekend of special Holiday Fest activities.
On Friday, December 7th, the annual Tree Lighting and Carol Sing was held at the Town Green, which was beautifully decorated with twinkling lights and festive colors for the holidays. Despite the cold temperatures, over 100 residents attended and kept warm with steaming cups of hot cocoa that was available to all. Everyone enjoyed singing along with students in the East Hartford High School and Middle School choruses, as well as guest appearances by Frosty the snowman, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and of course, Santa Claus himself. Mike Alan, Traffic Reporter from WTIC Am was the guest emcee for this event.
Also on Friday, Scuba Santa visited the High School pool for special underwater photos. East Hartford Police Department Dive Team member Officer Woody Tinsley once again helped make "Swim with Santa" possible. Residents who attended were able to take under(or above) water photos with Santa, create spin art and crafts, enjoy a hot cocoa bar with lots of toppings and take a dip in the pool with special floats and water toys while listening to holiday music. More than 50 people attended and signed in to take photos with Santa and approximately 30 donated toys were collected. Photos from the "Swim with Santa" event are available to view or download here.
On Sunday, over 450 residents enjoyed a special visit from Santa Claus at the Community Cultural Center! The hallways and activity rooms were transformed into a themed winter wonderland and a variety of family friendly activities were offered. From stocking and gift bag decorating, to inflatables, to a karaoke room where families came together to sing their favorite carols, to horse drawn wagon rides and a snowman building contest, this event truly offered something for everyone.
Santa’s Visit wouldn’t be complete without an opportunity to meet the big man in red himself, so every child had an opportunity to sit with Santa to tell him their wishes, in a room fully decorated for the whole Santa experience. Santa gave each child a ticket for a small toy, and Parks and Recreation staff also took photos and each family received a 4x6 photo to take home. In case Santa had a line, holiday backdrops, decorated trees and costumed characters lined the hallways to keep children entertained, including Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Marshall from Paw Patrol, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Our refreshment room served up shortbread cookies and milk to children (and children at heart) who needed to refuel after all the excitement. Renowned entertainer David Engel performed the “Yo Ho Ho! Pirate Christmas Show” in the auditorium, and Santa joined him on stage to thank all the families for coming to wrap up the event.
These events were made possible with the assistance of East Hartford Police Department Officer Woody Tinsley, East Hartford Fire Department Station 1, the Parks Department, the Beautification Commission as well as Parks and Recreation staff and volunteers from East Hartford High School. The East Hartford Teachers Association generously provided a free book to each child at Santa’s Visit, and Youth Services was also a part of this event, providing information on free programs and other services to families.
The Town of East Hartford and the East Hartford Parks and Recreation Department would like to thank everyone who attended and volunteered. As always, we strive to provide exceptional events for the East Hartford community and we are already looking forward to next year’s events!