Padanaram strolls into the holiday season

Elves, Santa, Mrs. Claus and a turkey walked down the streets of Padanaram, spreading cheer and welcoming in the holiday season on Sunday, Nov. 23.

A cellist played Christmas tunes as people lined up for wine and other drinks to then shop in the village.

The sip and stroll kicked off the holiday season in Padanaram, beginning with the lighting of the village’s Christmas lights — of which there are roughly half a million — with elves having the honor of switching them on.

“The elves are going to come into the village and it’s going to look like the elves are turning all the buildings on,” Linda Hopps, president of the Padanaram Business Association, said prior to the event.

Sarah and Matthew Medeiros moved to Padanaram about a year ago and chose to attend the sip and stroll to get involved with the community.

“First time coming for the tree lighting, so we wanted to check it out,” Matthew said. “Once we found out the elves were going to be here that was it.”

Sarah added that it’s also a nice start to the holiday season.

“Seeing part of the town lit up brings joy,” she said.

While many local businesses were open for the event, there were also Christmas carolers and a double decker bus to check out.

Erica Arruda of Tiverton owns the bus, recently starting a tour company called The Farmcoast Experience that brings tourists across the South Coast.

I’m seeing a lot of people from South Dartmouth, Westport, Tiverton, and people have just been in such great moods,” Arruda said of the sip and stroll.

Arruda was invited to take part in the sip and stroll by the Padanaram Business Association, though she said she had been planning to check out the event with her kids before the invite.

Arruda’s daughter Ava, 11, said one of her favorite parts of the night was having a chance to go into the Village Sweet Shoppe.

“Tonight’s been really fun to see all the people happy here,” she said.