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Struthers hosts annual Christmas in the Park
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Zachary Krk, 3, of Struthers sits on Santa’s lap while reviewing his Christmas wish list. Santa visited Mauthe Park in Struthers on Thursday as part of the city’s annual Christmas in the Park event.
Struthers sponsors annual holiday event
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
STRUTHERS
A full half- hour before Santa’s scheduled arrival via firetruck at 6 p.m. Thursday, a line of children and adults had begun to form, snaking around the interior perimeter of Mauthe Park’s multipurpose center.
But while attendees of the city’s annual Christmas in the Park event continued to join the line and wait for the main attraction, 10-year-old Trinity Wiggins, 9-year-old Peyton Shorthouse, and 6-year-old Cadence Shorthouse had staked out a table in the center of the room, and were feasting upon doughnuts and marshmallow-filled hot chocolate.
The three girls — all from Struthers — made it clear that they planned to sit on Santa’s lap but hadn’t yet decided what to ask for.
Christmas in the Park “is pretty nice,” said Peyton, who added that she and Cadence, her sister, had attended the event last year. “I like how they have Frosty and Santa come.”
Emma and Henry Hawkins — who were at Christmas in the Park with their parents, Josh and Elizabeth Hawkins of Youngstown — were a bit more decisive about what they wanted to see under the tree on Christmas morning.
For 6-year-old Emma, it is the second “Little Mermaid” movie. For 3-year-old Henry, it’s a dog.
Both parents said they attended this year’s event
primarily for the holiday music, performed by the Struthers High School Starlight Singers. The group, led by Angela Russo, is made up of freshmen through seniors, and performed six songs, including “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “What Christmas Means To Me.”
Josh Hawkins, the school district’s band director, said he wanted to support the high school’s music program and his colleagues — but that the doughnuts didn’t hurt either.
“I think [the event] is wonderful, because it’s free,” his wife, Elizabeth Hawkins, said. “It’s something the kids look forward to every year, so I look forward to it as well.”
Also in attendance was Al Sauline, Aqua Ohio’s Struthers area manager. Aqua Ohio has long sponsored Christmas in the Park, and this year provided many of the event’s treats, including doughnuts, hot chocolate and apple cider.
Sauline added that sponsoring the event is important to him, and to Aqua Ohio, because it shows that the business is more than a business — it’s also a member of the community.
“It’s just great seeing all these kids having fun,” Sauline said. “What else could you ask for?”
Mayor Terry Stocker said he’s grateful to Aqua Ohio for continuing to give back to the residents of Struthers in this way. It means a lot, Stocker said, noting that Christmas in the Park is an event that the city has taken a great deal of pride in for many years.
Stocker praised this year’s turnout, which included city officials, school board members, and representatives from the police and fire departments.
“It’s an opportunity to bring people together from our community,” Stocker said, “and a fun and festive way to bring in the Christmas season.”