Morgantown/Honey Brook townlively.com
NOVEMBER 23, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXX • NO 42
Ryerss Farm To Host Holiday Open House BY FRANCINE FULTON
Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines will present “Horses and Hot Chocolate, a Holiday Open House” on Sunday, Dec. 4, from noon until 3 p.m. Attendees will be able to visit with the farm’s residents, take photos with Santa and enjoy complimentary refreshments, including hot chocolate and homemade Christmas cookies. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Attendees are invited to use their own cellphones or cameras See Ryerss Farm pg 4 Erin McMullen invites children to drop off letters to Santa beginning on Nov. 26.
The Christmas village will include a Candy Kitchen house.
BY FRANCINE FULTON
hile many youngsters write letters to Santa Claus expressing their Christmas wishes, local children have an opportunity to receive a personalized letter in return through the Twin Valley Letters to Santa program. The effort started last year when Morgantown resident Erin McMullen set up a mailbox at the Caernarvon Township Building in Morgantown. She, along with a few other volunteers, answered each of the letters.
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“Last year, we did a tiny setup with a mailbox, and we had 100 letters come through. Myself and two other ‘elves,’ as we call ourselves, wrote back to each of those children,” McMullen said. “The letters were very personalized. If they wrote they were looking for Legos, we wrote something about Legos.” The volunteers assisted Santa in answering the letters as they came in throughout the holiday season. “Some of the (return) letters were handwritten and some of them were done on the computer with a handwriting font,” McMullen noted.
This year, the Letters to Santa program has expanded. In addition to the mailbox, six children’s playhouses will be set up next to the pavilion at Caernarvon Friendship Park, 3287 North St., Morgantown, beginning on Saturday, Nov. 26. Hot chocolate will be served on opening day from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., weather permitting. “This year, we are making it a lot more interactive and fun for the kiddos. We have six little playhouses that we have decorated like a little Santa’s village,” McMullen explained. The village will feature a
Gingerbread House, Reindeer Lodge, Toy Workshop, Candy Cane Lane, Winter Wonderland and Candy Kitchen. “There will be special (item) for them to take home from each house,” she said. “In the Toy Workshop, there will be a little toy for them, and at the Candy Cand Lane, there will be candy canes.” Children may drop off letters through Thursday, Dec. 15. All letters should be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The mailbox will be accessible 24 hours a day. “People can stop at any time,” said McMullen. See Letters To Santa pg 4
Community Calendar . . . .3 First Responders Complete Leadership Program . . . . .9 4-H Event To Highlight Campfire Cooking . . . . . . .9 House Of Worship . . . . . . .9 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .10
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Children Invited To Write Letters To Santa
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