ORANGE PARK – More than 200 people gathered in the heart of Orange Park at Town Hall Tuesday night to kick off the Christmas season the way they’ve been doing it for the past 50 years.
Since …
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ORANGE PARK – More than 200 people gathered in the heart of Orange Park at Town Hall Tuesday night to kick off the Christmas season the way they’ve been doing it for the past 50 years.
Since the 1960s, citizens have gathered in the park to watch children sing Christmas songs, sip on hot chocolate and listen to the mayor read “Twas The Night Before Christmas” to eager children who hope their name is not on the naughty list. This year was no different as Mayor Connie Thomas capped the night off with a reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s and Henry Livingston Jr.’s classic story.
She didn’t read until children of all ages sang some of the season’s best songs in solo and ensemble fashions. It was all smiles in the park for an hour-and-a-half.
The annual lighting event reached the finale when all of the Orange Park Town Council members gathered on stage to count down the lighting of the park. When the clock struck zero, the park lit up with Christmas lights galore.
Children ran around to take it all in while parents did their best to round up their little ones for pictures.
“It’s one of my favorite traditions,” an Orange Park resident said.
As this was Thomas’ first year as the town’s mayor, she was thrilled to join the echelons of those before her that read the most classic Christmas story.
“It was thrilling and awesome,” Thomas said. “To have the community gather and to see the smiles on everyone’s face, it means a great deal.
“It’s one of the best nights of the year.”