Crowds huddled closely to keep warm Dec. 13 at the sixth annual Christmas in Birdsboro celebration held in Main Bird Park. The event included horse-drawn carriage rides, visits with Santa, food and craft vendors, and the biggest crowd pleaser of all – fireworks.
Around 5 p.m., Santa, Mrs. Clause, and their helpers made a grand entrance to Main Bird Park high atop one of Birdsboro-Union Fire Department’s trucks. They waved to children from the fire truck’s cherry picker before being lowered down to the ground to take their places in the specially decorated gazebo in the park.
After Santa’s arrival, Main Bird Park started to swell with people. The streets were shut down for the horse-drawn carriage rides, and navigating the small town in a vehicle became impossible.
A Union Township man who was getting dinner from Italian Delight on Main St. said he had to take Monocacy Creek Road to Route 422 to get from one side of town to the other. An employee at Italian Delight said most of their customers that night had similar troubles getting to the restaurant.
Traffic nightmares aside, attendees came out in droves and enjoyed the festivities – especially the fireworks display following the tree lighting ceremony. Families nestled together under blankets with hot chocolate in hand to watch the show. The fireworks display was paid for by the borough and provided by International Fireworks of Douglassville, Pa.
The day began with Breakfast with Santa at the Boone Area Library, which was called a “huge success” by a representative from the library. The event allowed some of Santa’s biggest fans to get close to the big guy in red and enjoy a hearty breakfast. The library served breakfast to 180 people, and they also raised “a record amount of money” for the library through raffle ticket sales according to the library’s Facebook page.
After dining with Santa, many Christmas in Birdsboro attendees walked to the end of Mill Street to the Birdsboro Community Center, which was where the annual craft show was held.
According to Birdsboro Community Center Director Joseph Germani, the event took a lot of work, but they had everything running smoothly. He said after six years of organizing the annual craft show, most people know where to go when to be there.
About 45 vendors sold holiday wares that ranged from Christmas ornaments and wreaths to upcycled rock & roll records that were made into wall clocks. Many of the crafts being sold were created by some of the Daniel Boone School District’s best artisans.
Jeannie Wiggins of Flowers of Eden located in Douglassville was excited to show off her hand stitched embroidery on personalized stockings and other made-to-order gifts. Melinda Boyer and Shawna Sponsler’s K-9 Creations display was a big hit for dog lovers at the craft show. They were selling everything anyone could need to spoil their pooch with items like personalized dog collars and adorable doggie outfits and jackets.
After stocking up on holiday items, attendees took advantage of the free gift wrapping that was available at the community center and purchased raffle tickets for the chance to win a quilt. Proceeds from the raffle sales will be used to help heat the Birdsboro Community Center.
In addition to the community center, many local groups were able to raise money for their various causes at the Christmas in Birdsboro event.
Boy Scout troop 521 was among those groups selling goods to help support their troop. Their “recipes in a jar” layered dry ingredients in ball jars so all the recipient had to do was add liquid ingredients to make delicious treats. A few student organizations from Daniel Boone High School also raised money by selling sandwiches, tacos, cookies and crafts.
Other local groups gave free treats to Christmas in Birdsboro attendees in an effort to spread holiday cheer. Youth group members from Abundant Life Assembly of God handed out free popcorn to people as they walked by. Other local groups handed out free hot apple cider, cookies and other treats as well.
To get involved in next year’s Christmas in Birdsboro festivities, call the borough at 610-582-6030.
