SUNDRE – The first attempt at hosting a community gathering intended to inspire good will and holiday cheer has the main organizer optimistic about its potential moving forward.
The inaugural Christmas Spirit in the Park was held on Sunday, Dec. 1 at the Sundre Greenwood Campground’s community park and gazebo. The town has now officially opened year-round the gate at the campground that provides access to the riverside park and picnic area.
“A lot of people showed up just to see what it was all about,” said Moe Fahey, the town’s events and festivals coordinator, adding an estimated 130 attended.
Thanks to her position, Fahey said she has the opportunity to work alongside volunteers to make such arrangements possible.
“Everything that I do is with volunteers,” she said, adding there were quite a few community helpers who pitched in.
Together, they endeavoured to adorn the gazebo and surrounding trees with a colourful display of lights and got some fires going in the pits nearby.
“It was extremely cold, so we concentrated mostly on the gazebo area,” she said. “Next year, we’ll have the pathways done throughout the park through the trees.”
Many of the supplies provided were contributed by the community and several local businesses.
“That event was totally full of donations,” she said, adding there courtesy of those contributions was hot chocolate, coffee, hot dogs, candy bags, and even some s’mores available.
Additionally, Dan Burton brought out an antique bobsleigh that could fit 15 to 20 people at a time who were pulled along by a tractor, members of the Studio K Dance Gallery performed a few routines, and people sang some carols, she said.
And of course no kickoff to the Christmas season would be quite complete without Santa Claus, who also made an appearance.
“It was fabulous,” she said.
“It was such a fun, fun time . . . it was a good old fashioned come together,” she said, optimistic about the potential for the event to be even bigger and better next year.
Seeing as setting up the lights took about four days, Fahey said next year’s preparations may well get started sooner not only to allow a longer period to put up even more bulbs but hopefully also get a chance to avoid cold snaps.
“We’re going to try and make this an annual event,” she said, adding the idea will be to hold the event either late in November or early December to usher in the holiday season and Christmas spirit.
The gathering at the gazebo is not, however, intended to overlap with the annual shop local event Sundown in Sundre.
“It’s not to intrude on Sundown – this is totally different than Sundown,” she said.
“What we want to inspire is the Christmas spirit . . . this is the time of season where people should come together and be a little kinder.”
