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Kids, adult helpers baked hundreds of Cookies for Santa
Baking for Santa
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BOARDMAN
Santa Claus will be even more jolly and his belly larger than usual on Christmas Eve after eating all the cookies baked for him at the Cookies for Santa event at Boardman Park’s Lariccia Community Center.
About 100 parents, grandparents and children attended the 12th annual sold-out, hands-on event Wednesday at which each child was given four dollops of cookie dough to make the special snack to take home and set out for Santa on Christmas eve.
The would-be cookie bakers rolled out their dough and used cookie cutters, some with the help of their adult companions, and the cookies took form. Next, it was off to the baking station and then to the icing tables after which they were packed in boxes.
Elizabeth Rutana, 8, of Poland, who was waiting with her mother, Stacy Rutana and grandmother Sue Bunish of Poland for her cookies to bake, said she thought icing the cookies “would be the most fun.”
Shannon Williams of Boardman, formerly of Georgia, was at Cookies for Santa with her daughter, Shaelan, 11, whom Shannon says “makes a really mean guacamole dish and green-bean salad.”
“It’s really close to Christmas. It’s exciting and fun ... anything with sugar is good,” Shannon said.
Members of several area PANDA (Prevent And Neutralize Drug & Alcohol) abuse volunteers were at the event handing out supplies and helping in general.
Even the Grinch got into the act.
Lena Rogers, 12, and Jayden Morrow, 11, both in the sixth grade at Niles Middle School and members of its PANDA Leaders Club, made green waffles and sausage links for guests to eat while they watched the movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Cookies for Santa has become a tradition, said Karen McCallum, recreation director for Boardman Parks and organizer of the popular event.
“People come back year after year. It’s wonderful. In addition to making cookies, they can drive around the park and enjoy the Christmas light display,” she said. “And the beauty of it all is that the participants get to have all the fun and we clean up the mess.”