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Upper St. Clair VFD delivers Santa to appointed rounds

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 2 min read
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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Melissa Mattucci Lindberg, Community and Recreation Center marketing and membership supervisor, greets Santa Claus after he disembarks from the fire engine.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Community Band South performs during the Holidays at the CRC celebration.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Greeting visitors are, from left, Owen Mann, Amanda Sekanic and Abby Blackmon.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Santa Claus greets Carter Zeffiro.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

James Bennett, co-founder and co-director of Community Band South, directs the Dec. 7 performance.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Santa Claus greets James Lynch.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

The Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department delivers Santa Claus to the Community and Recreation Center.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Community Band South performs during the Holidays at the CRC celebration.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Excitement builds as a Santa approaches the Community and Recreation Center aboard an Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department truck.

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Harry Funk/The Almanac

Fresh off the fire truck, Santa Claus greets his fans.

Perhaps Santa Claus’ sleigh was in the shop getting a pre-Christmas Eve tune-up, and/or his reindeer were resting after a round of games.

But the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department took care of business on Dec. 7, delivering St. Nick by fire truck to his appointed round at the township’s Community and Recreation Center.

The occasion was the Holidays at the CRC celebration, which in addition to Santa’s visit – Mrs. Claus must’ve been busy baking cookies – also featured a musical performance with Community Band South and students from Fort Couch Middle School.

The band, now in its 33rd season, is led by James Bennett, former director of bands and chairman of fine arts for Upper St. Clair School District and currently director of activities for the Upper St. Clair Theater. The group’s co-director is Max Gonano, retired head of the music department at California University of Pennsylvania.

Community Band South was created to provide the opportunity and place for former high school and college band members who enjoyed the experience to continue to play music. The band also aims to inform young school musicians that there are opportunities to perform in musical organizations later in life in thousands of community bands and orchestras throughout the United States.

For Holidays at the CRC, the repertoire included an educational component along with the seasonal music, as plenty of information was provided about what enthusiastic audience members were hearing.

Meanwhile, Santa was happy to hear what the youngsters in the crowd would like to have waiting when they wake up on Christmas morning. By then, his sleigh and reindeer should be ready to take him everywhere he needs to go.

That would be a tall order for anyone else, even the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department.

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