Santa delivers during Bethel Park tree lighting event
Jack Allen waited a lifetime for his Christmas wish to come true but Santa Claus did deliver.
“Remember when you were little and sat on my lap?” Santa asked Allen. “You asked to be mayor and look at you know,” the jolly old elf said.
Since 2014, Allen has served Bethel Park in that capacity and he performed one of his favorite duties when he welcomed Father Christmas during the municipality’s annual tree lighting event on Nov. 30 at the community center.
“I love this event,” Allen said. “It’s amazing also to see such a turnout. This is the largest crowd I have seen at this event yet.”
While Kris Kringle was the main event, there was something for everyone – a cookie table, photo booth, reindeer food-making area, a mailbox to deposit letters to Santa.
Riley O’Hanlon and her brother, Silas, enjoyed the hot chocolate bar. “It’s delicious,” she said. “I love chocolate and enjoy the music.”
The Bethel Park High School jazz ensemble serenaded the crowd with Christmas music as they awaited Mayor Allen’s arrival to the dais. The BPHS Top 21 singers also performed and once Santa made his entrance, they joined him in a sing-a-long.
“We’ve always had the IMS (Independence Middle School) singers, but this year the Top 21 is here and what a treat,” said Allen. “A lot of them had been in the IMS choir. The stage is not new for them, but they are new for us and they are all grown up.”
Most of the youngsters in attendance will not have to wait until adulthood for Santa to fulfill their childhood wishes.
For example, Joshua Von Bloch asked for Legos, Hot Wheels and a Monster Truck. Harper Culotta wants a smartwatch and a What The Fluff toy. Dominic Flinn hopes for a Kirby T-shirt and some Nintendo video games.
Then there is Silas O’Hanlon. “He wants everything,” said his mother, Kelsie. “He has a whole list.”
Rebekah Shanaberger helped her daughter, Reagan, craft her Christmas list and deposit into the Letters To Santa mailboxes. At a year and a half, she was going to try to sit on Santa’s lap.
“She likes to give high-fives more,” said Shanaberger. “It’s the first time we’ve been to this event, and it’s exciting. She’s at the age where she is excited about everything. So it’s fun to see that through her eyes.”
Emily Skoczlas also experienced her inaugural tree lighting event. As community center director, she organized the event.
“It went really well,” Skoczlas said. “I’m extremely excited to have so many people here and so many families and kids enjoying all the activities. I also appreciated the jazz ensemble playing as well as the Top 21 to sing. That added an extra treat for us.”
Besides Santa, Skoczlas said the most popular area was the reindeer food-making station. “It seems like it’s the go-to place,” she said. The Letters To Santa was a close second. “It’s was pretty popular,” she added. “We had a lot of letters going into our mailboxes over here and headed to the North Pole.”
After putting on such an event, Skoczlas, like Santa after his worldwide, single-night journey, was ready for a long, winter’s nap. Yet, the effort was all worthwhile.
“Overall, it’s an amazing event,” she said. “It was awesome to plan and rewarding to see everybody smiling and all the kids having a good time.”