Santa, stalls and much more at Kildorrery Christmas Market
After what has been a very difficult time for everyone, Santa Claus is determined to spread Christmas cheer when he visits The Old Creamery, Kildorrery on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday, 12th December.
Santa has informed us that there is nobody on the ‘naughty’ list this year and that his ‘nice’ list is full to the brim so all the girls and boys that will meet him are in for a treat. All time slots are now fully booked.
SANTA
On Friday evening, 10th December, Santa will arrive at the Old Creamery after a very long journey from The North Pole for a very special weekend. He will be meeting all his special little friends on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in his favourite Old Creamery in the world!
His dedicated team of elves have been working very hard to ensure that every safety precaution will be taken so that everyone visiting will be safe. Santa is very worried about keeping everyone as safe as possible, he has his Covid Cert and has asked that everyone bring along their Covid Cert or negative test results and that masks are worn when visiting him. He also asked that if you are feeling unwell to stay at home, but don’t worry he won’t forget to call on Christmas morning.
He will also be sending on special ‘North Pole Sanitiser’ which will be available for use. Here’s hoping that everyone has a wonderful weekend meeting Santa. A special postbox is being installed for any letters with special requests for little people and big people too! Santa loves letters so get writing!
CHRISTMAS STALLS
On Saturday and Sunday, visitors to the market will be treated to a wonderful, colourful and festive display of Christmas fare offering a wide range crafts, products and produce. There are over 30 stalls to choose from and also our Community Stall so please come along to enjoy some Christmas atmosphere.
RAFFLE
We will hold our annual raffle with many exciting prizes to be won, from hampers of festive goodies and also a chance to win a trailer of solid fuel.
STORE RESTORATION
In the middle of the village lies the old Creamery Yard and currently one of the old buildings, the Creamery Store, is being renovated by Kildorrery Community Development. Many of its original features will be upgraded to a very high standard and as a result it will be a very comfortable building to hold events when the work is completed. New windows and doors have been installed along with a high level of insulation; the building has been fully plastered, new toilets and a full electrical fit out. Access ramps have also been installed to ensure easy access for all members of the community. The store restoration project is almost completed and is currently being painted.
The vision for the use of this building is endless – music, markets, youth groups, active retired, drama, keep fit, meetings, bingo, festivals and barn dances, the list goes on and on. With almost 40 active clubs in the village there will be a high demand for the use of the building.
The cost of this refurbishment is €280,000 unfurnished. The Community Development have been extremely lucky to have secured a total grant of €163,000 from Ballyhoura Development CLG and Cork County Council. However, there is a shortfall in the funding of approx. €120,000 and this is currently being fund raised by the Community Development through online donations and by dropping leaflets and donation envelopes to the homes of all members of the community.
To date we have raised over €11,000 through the online donations and door to door collections.
Kildorrery Community Development joined forces with the local Scout group for Halloween and had a wonderful night hosting a Halloween party in the Old Creamery. The event was a huge social success for the community as it has been sometime since we had been able to meet up as a community due to Covid restrictions. The night raised over €4,000 – half of which was donated to the Store Renovation Fund.
Donations can be made on line at idonate.ie/ kildorrerystore or by handing a donation into the Community Office on Main Street.
We ask for your continued support with our fund raising efforts over the coming months and one of our upcoming fundraisers is the Christmas Market on the 10th /11th /12th of December which we trust you will all enjoy.
Shopping local this Christmas has so many benefits to our community and you will not be disappointed with all that is on offer from the wide range of stalls. The Christmas Market is free for all visitors throughout the weekend but in an effort to keep everyone safe the following safeguards will be in place.
1. Face Masks must be worn at all times and hand sanitiser will be located at various points for your use.
2. Covid Certs will be required on entry to the Christmas Market over the three days:
3. Anybody feeling unwell, we will thank you to stay away.
4. Santa will be seated behind his desk this year and no physical contact with him will be made. Safe arrangements will be in place to have family photograph taken.
5. No heating in the building this year and doors and windows will be open for ventilation purposes so wrap up well!
From everyone in Kildorrery we wish you all a healthy, happy and safe Christmas.