Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Holiday in the City, presented by the Greater Springfield Partnership, will run five weeks with a variety of activities, shows and events through Jan. 4.
The 4,000-foot ice-skating rink returned to its original location along the fountain on the City Hall Plaza after moving down the street during a reconstruction project in 2023. The rink saw seasoned and new skaters hit the ice upon opening.
Leroy Sangster and niece Milly Byrd from London were the first out there. He’s been coming to Holiday in the City for years and likened spreading it out to the Summer Arts Festival in that it can be enjoyed over a longer period than just one night.
“It keeps getting better and better. It brings downtown back to life,” said Sangster, who planned to check out the free Ferris wheel rides and horse drawn carriage rides.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Isaiah Williams heard ice skating was fun from friends and was eager to try and prepared for the weather with two pairs of pants, a sweater and other layers.
The 6-year-old boy stuck to the railing, falling a couple times and was glad he tried something new, but seemed happier to get back to his light-up wand that blew bubbles, a popular toy with a lot of youngsters.
The cold didn’t deter some Springfielders from taking in their first Holiday in the City experience. Lindsay King and daughter Payton rode the 50-foot Ferris wheel, where they got a unique view of the festivities while Andy King took photos.
“I was a little worried when it started to rock,” Payton confessed after her first such ride.
The Kings were eager to watch the tree lighting and take a horse carriage ride and considered coming back for future activities.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Jill Lloyd also hadn’t experienced Holiday in the City until Friday when her son and grandkids encouraged her. She was impressed by the lights especially, but admitted she likely wouldn’t last long.
“It’s so cold,” Lloyd said, pulling her coat tighter.
Santa may have been the most popular attraction of the night, but Kerry’s Café food truck may have been a close second. It had long lines of people yearning for hot beverages throughout the night.
A touch from previous Holiday in the City events returned with a small parade to usher in Santa for the tree lighting. Participants included Clark County Fair Queen Ellen Getz in a horse drawn carriage driven by a Clydesdale horse, the cast of the Ohio Performing Arts Institute’s upcoming 35th production of “The Nutcracker” and the Northwestern High School Band.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Santa swapped his sleigh for a fire truck and told the crowd they weren’t loud enough and needed more Christmas power to help his task. Greater Springfield Partnership’s Chris Schutte, who emceed the tree lighting, quipped this may be the only festival of its kind where Santa rises 60 feet in the air on the truck’s extension basket to light the tree, which he did to cheers to officially start the season.
“It’s gonna’ be a wonderful year,” Santa said from on high.
One of the attractions missing from recent Holiday in the City openings were fireworks, which capped the one-night events, and came back strong on Friday, complemented by a drone show that created various holiday images with the grand finale leaving the message Merry Christmas.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Santa and Mrs. Claus had more to do inside the warmer atmosphere of the State Theater where they met children and posed for pictures. Kingston Tirey came with mom Chelsea and dad Alex all the way from Greenville, S.C. for his first visit with Santa, braving the cold to be first in line.
Chelsea Tirey’s grandparents, Eric and Julie Miller of Springfield, took her to Holiday in the City previously and the trip here for Thanksgiving meant a new tradition with Kingston.
Dressed in a red and white Christmas outfit, 9-month-old Kingston surveyed the bearded man in red on whose lap he sat with curiosity and was the focus of several photos with family members.
“This is fun and has good memories. We hope to come back more,” Chelsea Tirey said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Friday’s activities also included helping those in need this season. More than 100 blessing bags were packed to donate thanks to several community businesses, groups and individuals.
Covenant Presbyterian Church will sponsor its Gifts of Hope event at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in which participants can symbolically purchase items for others in the community.
Ice skating and carriage rides will continue through January. For the list of Holiday in the City activities and updates, go to www.facebook.com/holidayinthecityspfld/.
About the Author