Newtown Youth & Family Services (NYFS) presented the 34th Newtown Holiday Festival: A Frozen Winter Wonderland on Sunday, December 8, to the delight of many residents.
The action-packed celebration actually kicked off on Saturday morning with the Festival of Trees, on display at C.H. Booth Library. While that event continued on Sunday, all other events were Sunday specific.
The library also had a variety of activities for children that included making letters for Santa, kid’s crafts, photos with Elsa and Anna from Disney’s Frozen, and cookie decorating.
Elsa and Anna made a special appearance at Edmond Town Hall for the Kid’s Tea & Sing-Along portion of the festival. The town hall building also hosted two performances of The Nutcracker Suite Ballet, a holiday tea, and was the starting and end point for a series of Historic Trolley Tours. Don Ramsey was this year’s tour guide, narrating four runs of the popular Holiday Festival activity.
At Trinity Church, children had ice cream with Olaf, made snowflake crafts, and viewed the Edible Creations Display and Competition of gingerbread houses.
The Newtown Holiday Festival also had its Holiday House Tours this year. The owners of 27 Main Street, 29 Main Street, 32 Main Street, 11 West Street, 57 Queen Street, and 23 Boulevard all opened their homes to festival ticket-holders, with docents at each location describing each home’s history and highlights.
All proceeds from the Holiday Festival benefit NYFS, which, according to its website, is “a non-profit youth service bureau and mental health clinic for children, teens, adults, and seniors.”
For more information about Newtown Youth & Family Services, visit newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org or call 203-270-4335.
Four-year-old Sophia Young excitedly presses the button that controls the speed of the train set in front of her as Ryan Kovachs looks on. Mr Kovachs volunteered his time and train sets for the children to enjoy operating during the Ice Cream With Olaf event in Trinity Episcopal Church on December 8. “Making the kids happy makes me happy and smile,” Mr Kovachs said. —Bee Photo, Silber
Pictured from left is Gracie Veteri, 2; Ruby Veteri, 3; Isabella Bes, 8; and Emilia Bes, 4, with Olaf from Disney’s Frozen (brought to life by Tain Gregory) at the Newtown Holiday Festival’s Ice Cream With Olaf event at Trinity Episcopal Church on December 8. —Bee Photo, Silber
Mason Cote, 6, stands with his mom, Kim Cote, and his favorite gingerbread house on display at Trinity Episcopal Church during the Ice Cream With Olaf event on December 8. “I don’t know how they make these!” Mason said while looking at the elaborate decorations on each gingerbread house. Newly inspired, he then asked his mom if they could recreate them at home. —Bee Photo, Silber
Elliot Rebar selects a candy cane from a bowl held by Mrs Claus (Veronica Decarvalho) at the December 8 Kid’s Tea & Sing-Along with Elsa and Anna in the Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
Audience members at the December 8 Kid’s Tea & Sing-Along with Elsa and Anna in the Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall watch as the princesses from Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2 sing songs on stage. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
From left, Doug Bell, Ashley Sirowich, and Alex Sirowich make their way toward the Trolley Tour on December 8 outside Edmond Town Hall. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
Trolley tour guide Don Ramsey, left, and trolley driver Renea Watson smile before starting the second tour of the day on December 8. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
Decorated trees are set up for display at C. H. Booth Library for the Festival of Trees, which had patrons purchase raffle tickets to win the festive decorations. Along with trees, wreaths and other items were on view. The Festival of Trees was on view in two rooms for December 7 and 8. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
A tree decorated by Girl Scout Troop 50166 was one of the many on display and available through purchasing raffle tickets in this year’s Festival of Trees.—Bee Photo, Hallabeck
Jane Vouros, right, stands beside Lois Russell, while Chris Russell, left, and Emma Russell, center, pet Ms Vouros’s dogs Annie and Tiegen. Her home at 29 Main Street is also an Inn and is known as the Dana-Holcombe House. The group talks by the fireplace in a room off the main hallway.—Bee Photo, Bobowick
A group of guests enjoying the Holiday Festival house tour step into the main entrance at 29 Main Street, the Dana-Holcombe House, where Christmas figurines, right, and a decorated tree, left, are some of the first things they see. —Bee Photo, Bobowick
Maureen Rohmer, right, walks Holiday Festival house tour guests through her professionally decorated home at 27 Main Street. At center, with the window behind it, is a framed and hand-written old letter talking about George Washington. The home is a 1787 Colonial, and Connecticut Superior Court Judge William Edmond, town benefactress Mary Hawley’s great grandfather, was once a resident of this house where he set up a law practice in 1782. —Bee Photo, Bobowick
Molly Smith, front, rushed to look out the window in Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria room when friend Reed Segheri, back, spied Santa outside on December 8. Both girls later served goodies at the Kid’s Tea & Sing-Along with Elsa and Anna. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
The view from a window in Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria room on December 8 had Santa waiting to greet visitors to the Holiday Festival and trolley tour-goers walking toward the trolley. —Bee Photo, Hallabeck
Clara, center, played by Newtown Middle School seventh-grader Molly Tinkler, and her friends dance across the stage with their gifts during one of two Nutcracker performances by Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet, Sunday afternoon. —Bee Photo, Bobowick
During Sunday’s Nutcracker performance, Clara, played by Newtown Middle School seventh-grader Molly Tinkler opens her gift box and raises the nutcracker inside. —Bee Photo, Bobowick
Clara, played by Newtown Middle School seventh-grader Molly Tinkler, lifts her Nutcracker while dancing during one of two Nutcracker Ballet performances Sunday afternoon.—Bee Photo, Bobowick
Ginny and Chris Spiro at 32 Main Street sit by the fire beneath a collection of 139 Santa figurines. Dating back to the 1800s, the figurines represent what Santa looked like year by year. —Bee Photo, Bobowick
Docent Tracy Van Buskirk, left, stands with homeowner Bart McCleary in his dining room at 23 The Boulevard. His home is an 1895 Queen Ann style house, and was one of six on this year’s Holiday Festival House Tour. —Bee Photo, Bobowick
Bart McCleary, of 23 The Boulevard, holds an article talking about former homeowners Frank and Josie Wright, who built the house in 1894. Mr Wright worked for The Newtown Bee for 52 years. The article he is holding was printed in the June 6, 1997 Newtown Bee.—Bee Photo, Bobowick
