Christmas is comin' to Dartmouth: Town Hall lighting ushers in the season
Yukon Cornelius and Santa Claus ride to Town Hall on an old fire engine on Saturday, Dec. 6. Photos by Abby Van Selous
The Town Hall tree lights up the night.
Ring around Rudolph
Ella Perry tosses a ball in a reindeer game.
Riding in on an old fire engine.
Playing games at the tree lighting ceremony.
'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer' comes to life in Dartmouth.
Yukon Cornelius and Santa Claus ride to Town Hall on an old fire engine on Saturday, Dec. 6. Photos by Abby Van Selous
The Town Hall tree lights up the night.
Ring around Rudolph
Ella Perry tosses a ball in a reindeer game.
Riding in on an old fire engine.
Playing games at the tree lighting ceremony.
'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer' comes to life in Dartmouth.
Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and Yukon Cornelius welcomed in the Christmas season in style this year as they were escorted by an antique police car and an antique fire engine to the annual Town Hall tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 6.
With sirens wailing, Santa, Mrs. Claus and Yukon Cornelius were greeted with shouts and screams of excitement from people who had come out to see the tree lit.
“I think it’s crazy how Santa could come out here tonight,” Annalise, 9, said.
For an hour before the tree lighting, kids lined up to take pictures with Santa, played reindeer games, took photos with the Abominable Snowman, enjoyed a magic show and ate treats.
Both new and returning community members attended the ceremony, including kids Annalise, Phoebe, Wyatt and Alexander, who attended the event for the first time this year.
“I actually just moved here, so I didn’t even know this town does this,” Annalise said.
She said her favorite part of the night was when the magician pulled a handwarmer out from behind her ear.
“I said, ‘How did you do that?’ and he pulled it out from behind my ear,” Annalise explained.
Phoebe, 8, said her favorite part of the night was “spending time with my friends and family.”
At one point, Alexander, 12, went up on stage to help the magician with a trick that involved Christmas stockings, which he said was his favorite part of the night.
Wyatt, 11, ate “a bunch of snacks” and said his favorite part of the night was when the tree was lit.
When asked whether they wanted to come back next year, the four kids shouted, “Yes!” in unison.
Regan Wilson, 11, who won an Abominable Snowman plush toy and other goodies in a raffle, said she decided to attend the tree lighting ceremony because she “love[s] the community and all the things that everybody does for us.”
For many, the tree lighting ceremony is a kick off for the holiday season, a sentiment shared by Regan and Derrick Wilson who attend the event every year.
“It brings in more Christmas joy,” Regan said.
