Santa stops in Taylorsville
Evening enjoying cookies with kids, parade and more brings St. Nick in for a small town Christmas
Santa Claus was a busy man in Taylorsville over the weekend.
His first stop was supposed to be their first ever Christmas parade late last week, but he got a reprieve and only had to worry about visiting with local children and enjoying some free hot cocoa and cookies before his big ride delivering toys around the world.
Santa’s trip to Taylorsville began a weekend of fun for their small town Christmas, capped off with that first ever Christmas Parade on Saturday and a toy giveaway downtown.
Taylorsville’s Tammy Redd, who helped organize the events, said the whole idea of celebrating the holidays with the trio of events was to give back to the community.
“We’re a small town community, and we’re all real close,” she said. “We like giving back, because the people out here give back a lot so it feels good to do something for them.”
She said the atmosphere in Taylorsville this time of year — filled in the evenings and nights with lights and holiday cheer — comes from the closeness of neighbors and friends.
“That’s the way we are, we all pull together to help each other,” she said.
Over the weekend following the parade (see page A10,) local youth came back to Talyorsville’s Town Hall to take home a number of gifts provided by the community and a few early ones from Santa himself.
Every child in attendance received a toy, a meal, and a chance to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Clause.
The event, now 33 years old, is largely sticking to its roots, but the citizens who volunteer to host Community Christmas report larger attendance each December. Town Hall was filled with families making their way around the events, taking pictures with Santa, drinking hot chocolate, and picking their toy of choice.
However, alongside larger attendance, the community has also started giving away bicycles in years past. Tickets given to children as they enter can be allocated to a bike of their choice, and the one lucky enough to have their number dawn from a raffle gets to take the item home.
Gift cards for parents and older children were raffled off in a similar manner during the December 14 festivities.
“We do events to raise money to buy the toys and bicycles,” Redd said Saturday. “Anyone is welcome to come down. We serve any age.”
Leaving Town Hall and heading to the city’s Mason Lodge meant getting a free meal of hot dogs, chips, and beverages for any citizen interested.
Volunteers from the lodge cooked plenty, and at one point, the building was almost entirely filled. Tennis courts next to the lodge gave youth the chance to work off some of the treats they’d received, and many could be seen throwing a football around or playing chase.
Redd added that the event is not exclusive to Taylorsville citizens, so those in Polk looking to join in next year are welcome to visit their town hall on Euharlee Street and enjoy the holiday fun.