BIRDSBORO >> The 8th annual Christmas in Birdsboro is set for Saturday, Dec. 10, and ice is expected to be the main attraction.
Known for the Fire and Ice Festival in Lititz, DeMartino Ice has been invited to take part in the borough’s holiday celebration this year.
“We have a double ice slide coming this year for everybody and we will also have nine different sculptures being done,” said Steve Lusky, Birdsboro council member. “Some are interactive, you’ll be able to sit on them, put your head through them, and those kinds of things.”
These sculptures will be placed throughout Birdsboro, being used and worked on.
“We are hopeful, for the kids of Birdsboro, to have the slide open for an hour or two Friday evening, even though Christmas in Birdsboro is Saturday.”
On Saturday, while the rides generally don’t open up until 4 p.m., Lusky says he plans to open the 45-foot-long ice slide at 10 a.m. It will be located across the street from Main Bird Park at the VFW.
The Boone Area Library will kick-off the day by hosting Breakfast with Santa from 8 to 10 a.m. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Gumdrop Lane will be set up featuring games, crafts and various activities.
From 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. the Birdsboro Community Center will be holding a Christmas Craft Show; wine-tasting with Ridgewood Winery will be held from 3 to 7 p.m.
The Birdsboro Community Theatre will also be participating in the borough’s event. The First Street Players will hold a 2 p.m. performance of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas, the musical.” At 5 p.m., there will be a chance to meet the cast and see other musical performances.
At Main Bird PArk, there will be a live nativity, horse-drawn carriages, crafters, a train ride from kids, and pictures with Santa. A variety of food vendors will be on site as well.
“We got the carriages back from Philadelphia that were so popular two or three years ago,” said Lusky.
To prepare the event, the borough has addressed some parking issues to help people get to the event as quickly and easily as possible.
“We now have three school buses, rented, that will be used to bring people back and forth to the park area,” said Lusky. “The trolleys will make all of the stops throughout the town, the school buses’ main function will be to drop people off and pick people up.”
The borough has also designated two new parking areas; attendees are encouraged to look for event parking signs.
“We expect large crowds this year,” said Lusky, adding how DeMartino Ice brings a lot of people out. “In addition to our normal crowds we get, we’re expecting a lot more people and we feel we’re dealing with it appropriately.”
The day will conclude around 8 p.m. with a tree lighting ceremony and fireworks.
Christmas in Birdsboro is an annual event organized by the Birdsboro Recreation Board and the Borough of Birdsboro.
