The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
WATERFRONT WINTERFEST RETURNS FOR THIRD YEAR
Community gathers at Veterans Park to celebrate annual holiday kick-off event
Santa Clause rode through downtown Lorain in style on top of a Lorain Fire Department truck Nov. 25 to introduce the return of Waterfront Winterfest for its third year at Veterans Park on West Erie Avenue, across from City Hall.
Joining Santa for the event were superheroes from Super Heroes To Kids In Ohio, princesses like Anna and Elsa as well as Lorain International Festival princesses and Queen to elves, who all helped children and families get into the holiday spirit. To make Winterfest complete, the park was filled with ice sculptures done by Elegant Ice Creations, holiday music, performances by children in the Little Lighthouse Learning Center day care, 205 W. 20th G-100 in Lorain, as well as laughter, smiles and reindeer.
However, according to many of the guests and families who were in attendance all were waiting for Santa to flip the light switch at the park and turn all light decorations on to officially start the holiday festivities.
Laurel Bansek, treasurer of Waterfront Winterfest and owner of Lolipop’s Gift Shop, 408 Broadway in Lorain, organized the event alongside its committee and her husband and chairman Steve. Winterfest hit its third year this year after taking over Light Up Lorain in 2015 when Jim Long, president of Mainstreet Lorain and Carl Neilsen, chairman of the Lorain Port Authority, asked the Banseks to give them something new and different for Lorain, she said.
According to Bansek, she said the crowd for this year’s celebration was much larger than normal and that she couldn’t be happier to help create an event for the city of Lorain and its citizens during the holidays. She said with the removal of the parade that normally introduced the event throughout Broadway and West Erie Avenue, Winterfest was able to use $5,000 in order to bring in more lights and light displays to fill the park, as well as reindeer for the
“There’s so much going on that it’s nice that Lorain is doing things for the kids and getting them involved.”
— Michelle Stanley, from Sheffield Lake.
children to enjoy.
Not only did the new lights and attractions bring more excitement to parents, grandparents and children’s faces, but the fireworks to complete the lighting ceremony at Veterans Park brightened up the whole area.
Parker Eisele, an 8-yearold who was born in North Ridgeville and moved to Tennessee six years ago, said that she visits her family in Sheffield Lake during the holidays and that she enjoys coming home to see Christmas decorations at events like Winterfest.
Parker said it was her first time coming to Waterfront Winterfest and she said that she really loved seeing Santa come in on the fire truck with the super heroes and princesses following. She said that she couldn’t wait for the fireworks because she loves to see how they make different patterns.
Eisele enjoyed the holiday celebration with her grandmother, or “Gi Gi,” Michelle Stanley, from Sheffield Lake.
“I like the people being together,” said Stanley. “There’s so much going on that it’s nice that Lorain is doing things for the kids and getting them involved.”
By the end of the event, Santa took the celebrations to Broadway at the Annex of Northwest Savings Bank for photos, while a performance by The Windjammer Band took place at Lorain Public Library’s Main Branch, 351 W. 6th St. A showing of the Polar Express was at the Palace Theater with free admission, and Trees and Trains took place at the Black River Transportation center.
With lights and decorations that may have citizens passing by feeling jollier than ever, they will light downtown from Thanksgiving weekend all through the end of February.
Both Laurel and her husband Steve said their goal for next year’s Winterfest would be to have their streetscape, or visual effect of the street of Broadway to be decorated from the start of Broadway on West Erie Avenue to the underpass by West 9th Street. The streetscape should be complete by next year, she said.
Laurel said Waterfront Winterfest is looking forward to having a huge fundraiser, Jan. 18, 2018, in hopes of raising $50,000 at Texas Roadhouse where it will get 10 percent of proceeds for all food and alcoholic beverages purchased. The fundraiser will be held to reach its goal on Broadway as well as more lighting at Veterans Park, City Hall and decorations from West Erie Avenue to West 9th Street. Small fundraisers will also be held throughout next year, she said.