Like a scene straight out of Dr.Seuss’ “Whoville”, hundreds of Hobart locals braved the cold to kick-start the holiday festivities with Hobart’s 16th annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. The event was free to all, featuring carriage rides, pictures with Santa, live music and fun. The Hobart High School Band performed Christmas classics and The Chicago Carolers sang all around Hobart’s Festival Park. Along with the music, attendees could enjoy petting and taking photos with Santa’s helper, Belle the Reindeer, pet a rabbit from Silly Safaris, or enjoy a carriage ride through the park. If the cold got to be too much, many enjoyed hot coffee and cocoa from Tom’s Traveling Coffee or a bite to eat from Bub’s Spuds.
This year meant a lot for Hobart as a whole. The pandemic hit this tradition hard and in the following years the event was kept small, and the city couldn’t celebrate the holiday season as they wanted. Director of Parks and Recreation Kelly Goodpaster was excited for this year’s ceremony because they worked hard to make it the biggest one so far.
“'For the past few years, we've had it downtown on the corner of Main and Third Street. It's a really small parking lot, so we can only hold so many people there,” said Goodpaster. “I’ve always wanted that Hallmark movie holiday event, and we pushed to get here.”
Being a Hobart local herself, Goodpaster wanted to make this event as successful and accessible as she could. Everything was free except for the food truck because they wanted to bring Christmas cheer to the community at no cost.
“We really try to do as many free things as possible for people as I know people are low income. It's a really hard time of year because people are trying to buy gifts and things,” Goodpaster said. “For us, it's really important not just to see kids in our parks, but to see a whole family unit here enjoying themselves stress free.”
Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor brought the tree lighting ceremony tradition back during his first term in office and is beyond grateful that it has grown to be what it is now. When 2023 comes to an end, Mayor Snedecor is saying goodbye to the mayoral office and wants to make his last ceremony as mayor a big one. Hobart festivities started with local businessman Nino Bruschemi decades ago and Snedecor held to tradition.
“Nino really wanted to keep Christmas special to the community, so we wanted to build up on his commitment to the community,” Snedecor said. “It brings joy to me to look out and see so many people gather for this and to hear the kids, like when we did the countdown, get excited and see the smile on their faces.”
Snedecor said he will continue to come to Hobart events like he has done for the past two decades because they mean a lot to him and he wants to keep the tradition and meaning of the season alive in any way he can.
“It's that time of the year where you really draw close as a family and as a community. People will put differences aside and just come together. I also think it's important that people realize it’s about giving, not receiving,” said Snedecor. “I always want people to remember really what the reason for the season is, and if you apply that, then there are so many good things that can happen during this time which we love to see.”
In the spirit of giving back, Classic Photo was offering photos with Santa free of charge but were also accepting donations to help out the local food pantry and families for the upcoming holidays.
Co-owner of Classic Photo Sheila Ling finds great pride and joy in being able to give back to her community and help families out.
“If they want to take a picture with Santa they can bring in a donation if they are able to and then they get a picture printed for free,” Ling said. “There are over 500 kids and families that need help, so this is a way to help others out during the season.”
Ling donates to local schools and to Hobart food pantries throughout the year, to help those families in need eliminate some of the stress that surrounds food insecurity.
Christmas is one of the most caring times of the year. People want to give back to their communities, neighbors and friends. Hobart’s Tree Lighting Ceremony embodied the spirit of giving across its entirety.
Candlelight Horse and Carriage owners Kelly and Thomas White traveled all the way from Yorkville, Illinois to deliver free carriage rides to Region locals. Mrs. White said the reward is seeing the children’s faces light up as the horse Cody begins galloping along the trail; you can’t put a price on that.
“Actually we love doing Christmas time with the kids. I hope there are a lot of kids today, and I hope they all have a good time and enjoy it,” White said. “This brings a lot of people together and everybody loves a horse. It may not be something that you have seen, especially a kid, and a carriage ride can be pretty expensive if you go to a big city. Events like this are free and it allows us to meet new people and bring them an unforgettable experience. It’s fun for everybody.”
Unity and Christmas spirit was spread all around Hobart’s Festival Park. Locals gathered around the tree, counting down as the estimated 20 foot Christmas tree lit up the park. The night ended with Christmas carols and a farewell to Mayor Snedecor with a firework display that spread across the park’s sky.
To learn more about Hobart events you can visit: https://www.cityofhobart.org/201/Special-Events
To learn more about Classic Photo you can visit:https://classicphoto.org/
To learn more about Candlelight Horse and Carriage you can visit:https://www.candlelighthorseandcarriage.com/
To learn more about Silly Safaris, you can visit:https://sillysafaris.com/Like this comment
