Mayberry Square comes alive with the Rednose Sing-along
Written by Guest Author | | GuestAuthor@toledofreepress.comSunday Dec. 4 Mayberry Square in Sylvania will become alive with the Christmas Spirit and Song as host of the annual Red Nose Sing-along to benefit The Gretchen Gotthart Skeldon Fund and The ALS Association Northern Ohio Chapter. This is the second year of this event and promises to be a low cost family experience filled with Christmas spirit and entertainment. Santa will arrive at 5:00 P.M. to lead everybody in song; including a special event where everyone will hold hands around the big Mayberry Evergreen tree (ala…The Grinch) and sing a special carol to welcome Christmas. We will sing a few more favorites and then put on the red noses and sing “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”
Santa Dave Davis, of Sylvania, is the visionary behind the event in which he promises good local enertainment as well as a memorable community experience. When asked how the orignin of the Rednose Sing-along, Dave strokes his long white beard, looks above and starts to talk about a hot August mooring in 2010. “Every Saturday, a close knit group of members of St. Stephen Lutheran congreagate at Nautica coffee to discuss all sorts of topics. On this particular Saturday, the discussion migrated to how children today do not know many Christmas carols and its sad that they do not have the opportunity to learn and sing them.” As part of this discussion, Davis talked to Nautica owners Lin and Marty McKelvey about how neat it would be to have a night at Nautica in which Santa would visit and lead singing of Christmas carols and the idea started to take root and is evolving into an annual event.
“First and foremost”, Davis says, “the goal is to have a low cost, fun, family event where the entire crew Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and all the kids can come to an event and participate in raising the Christmas spirit. We want to provide an opportunity to enjoy the simpler side of the holiday, things such as a cookie, a cup of coccoa. Maybe they might even discover a fun Christmas carol they never knew existed, and it will become a family song.”
The event itself will kick off starting at 4:00 PM with craft tables in the outdoor tent. The tables will include a cookie decorating station, and origami station, a place to get tattoos, a letter to Santa station, and some other craft things. There will also be a table that sells activity packs for the event. The activity pack will include a custom made activity book with puzzles, Christmas games, and the lyrics of all the songs Santa will lead the crowd in singing and a red nose. Cost for the kit will be $9 for all members of the family. A person can forgo the kit and just get the rednose for a donation. Event emcee Becky Shock will then bring the stage alive with the Souled Out Barbershop Quartet, followed by dancers from The Rising Star dance acadamy and then the musical delights of Gene Zenz, Lara Fish, and friends take the stage to get the crowd ready for Santa. Then at 5 PM Santa arrives and upshifts the Christmas singing into high gear. Then the crwod will hold hands around the giant Mayberry Christmas Tree, hold hands and sing an original song titled Mayberry Welcomes Christmas. “The holding hands around the tree is to help experience Chrismtas ala the opening of How the Grinch Stole Christmas” says Davis, “That is something you probally can’t do at home, but is a wonderful expressesion of the spirit and community. Local musician Gene Zenz and Santa co-wrote the song to capture the power of the season. The Santa stage time will include reading one of the letters from the children outloud and singin a few more carols, and finally everyone will don a rednose and sing about Rudolph the Reindeer. Santa will exit the stage and then go to Nautica Coffee to visit with the Children. People will be able to take pictures with Santa using their own camera. The on-stage entertainment and tents will continue until the raffle winners are announced. Santa will stay until the last child gets greeted.
The Gretchen Gotter Skeldon Fund and the ALS society of Northwest Ohio are the charities that will split the profits from this years event. “Both these charities help spread the Christmas message of hope throughout the year, and we are honored to contribute a small bit to their mission” Davis says, “our primary focus is to provide a family event, and if in the process of covering costs, we are able to make a few bucks to help local charities, then we have found success.”
So, you are invited on the first Sunday in December, to venture to Mayberry square, hold hands as the trees is lit and put on red noses to welcome in the Christmas season, and who knows, it may be the start of a wonderful family memory that will go down down down, in history!
