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Liberty Lights Up
LIBERTY
The sights and sounds of the holidays filled the Liberty Township Administration building Saturday.
More than 50 people, including many children, came to the celebration to sing carols, munch cookies, light decorations and greet Santa Claus.
The township has been doing a holiday lighting since the early 1990s, said Trustee Jodi Stoyak.
“We’re hoping to organize a more multicultural event next year and work more with the schools. I’m hopeful we can do that because Liberty is a very diverse community,” she said.
Stoyak said the event is a chance for residents to gather together.
Jim Moran, of Hermitage, Pa., said that’s why he volunteered to play carols on a keyboard during the celebration.
“I live in Hermitage, but I’m part of the community here,” said Moran, who teaches music at Liberty Lesson Center.
Shannon Andre, of Liberty, brought her daughters, Kara Andre, 4, and Kaitlyn Andre, 2, to the festivities.
“It’s something nice. We want to support the community, and it’s fun,” Andre said.
Kara and Kaitlyn were excited to see Santa Claus, who arrived on a firetruck, and their mom said the family finds a good balance during the holidays.
“We do talk a lot about the whole reason for Christmas,” Andre said.
The family has an advent calender that they use to count down to Christmas, when Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
“We also did ‘Operation Christmas Child’ and they really got into the idea of giving,” she said.
The project entails filling a shoe box with goodies for a child in need. Kara said her only disappointment was not meeting the girl who would receive the shoe box.
When Kara and Kaitlyn both climbed onto Santa’s lap, they whispered their wish for princess-themed toys. Kara is fond of Rapunzel and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), while Kaitlyn favors Cinderella.
After they hopped off, the sisters turned and waved as they said “thank you.”