The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
A crisp 71st opening of Christmas Village
TORRINGTON — With a crispness to the air that lent a decidedly holiday-season feel to the day, Torrington revelers and officials welcomed Santa and Mrs. Claus to Carl Bozenski’s Christmas Village Sunday afternoon for the 71st time.
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived at the beloved Village in a horse-drawn sleigh as part a festive parade that numbered two dozen civic groups and around 1,000 individuals.
The entourage, which began at the city’s Armory, passed along Main Street, then up Mason Street to Christmas Village on Church Street. A Veteran’s Honor Guard, Civil Air Patrol, and the Torrington High School JROTC led the parade.
Among those taking part were several schools, Boys and Girls Scouts, Oliver Wolcott Technical School, the city Fire Department and police, the Torrington High School Band, cheerleaders and football team, Warriors Football and Cheer, a Torrington Parks and Recreation Elf Float, an amusing Torrington Parks and Recreation Dog Float, local elected officials, the Mayor’s Committee on Youth and Mayor Elinor Carbone.
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived at Christmas Village in a white horse-drawn carriage. Hundreds lined the parade route to wave at the procession and get a look at Santa and Mrs. Claus.
An opening ceremony was emceed by Casey McKenna accompanied by the Torrington Musicians Association Brass Ensemble. Local musician Katelyn Gavagan sang the National Anthem along with a holiday song that put the crowd in the spirit.
Carbone cited the opening of Christmas Village as celebrating the holiday in its “truest form.” She added, “This all just doesn’t happen. It takes a lot of work by Parks and Recreation Superintendent Brett Simmons, his staff and volunteers who make the magic come alive each year.”
Simmons praised the efforts of radio station WZBG and all those who donated toys to the Village this year, and mentioned the fact that he believes the parade has doubled in size since he took over his post in 2008.
The doors to Christmas Village officially opened at the conclusion of the ceremony and Santa took up his familiar position in a warm and cozy room. Some stood for hours for a chance to see Santa and get inside the buildings and grounds that draw upwards of 30,000 visitors a year. There’s also a room where Mrs. Claus welcomes visitors, another cottage in which elves labor on various toys, as well as reindeer and sleighs and other Christmas accoutrements outside that crowds love to pose for pictures on or near.
Kara Donovan, a Portsmouth, Rhode Island, resident who visits her folks in Harwinton, where she grew up, every year to bring her small children to Christmas Village, had a spot near the gates of the Village.
“I came here as a young child and I wanted to have my children (Elle, Trey and Cruz) experience it every year as well. It’s a wonderful tradition to pass down through the generations. My mom and brother got here at 10 a.m. to get us this spot so we didn’t have to wait so long to get in.”
Others were not so lucky, but no one seemed to mind as a bright sun took some of the chill away. After all, kids will wait as long as they have to in order to sit on Santa’s lap, give him their wish list and maybe come away with a special present to kick off the Christmas celebration in a proper fashion.
Christmas Village will be open every day from 1 to 8:30 p.m. before officially closing on Christmas Eve.