This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/01/2015 12:15 PMEverybody loves a parade—and Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday music, and of course Bob Hale’s resonant voice reading aloud The Night Before Christmas.
Once again on Sunday, Dec. 6, starting at 4 p.m. with the holiday parade, the Town of Westbrook will kick-off the holiday season with its annual holiday celebration. The tree-lighting ceremony and Town Green activities will begin around 4:30 p.m. when the end of the parade reaches the Town Green. Events on the Town Green will continue until 6 p.m.
The parade route begins at the Captain Stannard House at South Main Street and Kingfisher Lane and continues northeast along South Main Street to end at the Town Green.
Marching this year will be town and state officials, the Westbrook High School band and cheerleaders, the Westbrook Junior Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, the Westbrook Drum Corps, Westbrook Dance Academy, VISTA staff and students, Old Saybrook Westbrook Youth Football and cheerleaders, Oxford Academy, SARAH, and members of the Connecticut Volkswagen Association. The parade will lead Santa Claus to the Town Green where he will greet young visitors.
As the tree-lighting ceremony at the Green begins, former Westbrook High School Principal Bob Hale will once again read aloud The Night before Christmas. This will be followed from 4:30 to 6 p.m. by various musical performers including the Old Lyme Tubadores, Westbrook High School’s Kina Mama chorus, Mr. and Mrs. Falala Jingle, the Little Folks Choir from the Congregational Church, and Brian Ruddy.
Family-friendly activities—all free—will be set up on the Town Green from 4:30 to 6 p.m. These include ice-carving demonstrations by Dan Medeiros, caricature drawing by Wild Bill Taylor, and an arts and crafts table hosted by the Girl Scouts. Free horse-drawn carriage rides around the Town Green will also be offered again through support from Essex Savings Bank.
For those who love a bonfire, the annual s’mores bonfire on the Green will again be sponsored by Jennifer Capano and her husband Kenneth, co-owners of ShopRite. Marshmallows and other s’more supplies will be available for free to all.
The annual event is coordinated by the Westbrook Parks & Recreation Tree-Lighting Committee, which wanted to thank the Westbrook Foundation for a grant allowing purchase of a new sound system and banners.
Other event and activity sponsors include the Essex Savings Bank for sponsoring the Foxwood Farms carriage rides, the Friends of the Library for financial support, Westbrook Boy Scouts for set up, and John Riggio and Westbrook Public Works Department for their help in making the event possible.
Breakfast with Santa
On Saturday, Dec. 5, from 8 to 11 a.m., Westbrook’s Project Graduation committee will host a Breakfast with Santa event at the Westbrook Fire Hall, 18 South Main Street. Breakfast includes pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, juice, and coffee. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 12 years old and younger; a photo with Santa is included.