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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The tree at Poland Village Town Hall was lit up toward the end of the Lighting of the Village event on Dec. 3.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Santa Claus spoke to one of the children at the Lighting of the Village in Poland on Dec. 3.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Jeff Kaiser from Sub-Zero Hand Crafted Ice Sculptures carved a Christmas tree out of ice for the Lighting of the Village event in Poland on Dec. 3.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Guests who attended the Lighting of the Village in Poland on Dec. 1 went on a horse-drawn carriage ride.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Second-grade students from Poland Union were led by music instructor Dean Wilson and sang at the Lighting of the Village on Dec. 3.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Poland Village Town Hall was lit up with holiday spirit on Dec. 3 during the eighth annual Poland Lighting of the Village.
Each year, on the first Saturday in December the Lighting of the Village grows with guests, many from Poland while some from other communities. The Poland Junior Women’s Club hosts the event each year and works hard to accommodate the growing crowd.
“This year we have ice carving for the first time. We extended the carriage rides to try and accommodate more families,” said co-chair Jacci Miller.
The guests could watch Jeff Kaiser from Sub-Zero Hand Crafted Ice Sculptures carve a Christmas tree out of ice for the event.
The Poland library, Kravitz Deli and the Cafe at Wittenauer’s all joined in the celebration and had specials for the guests to participate in. The library had crafts and stories, children could decorate cookies at Wittenauer’s and Kravitz had specials with cider and cookies.
“We figure around 300-400 people come based on the number of cookies we go through,” said Laurie LaPlante, PJWC President.
Cookies were donated by community members. Residents from Sunrise Assisted Living baked cookies along with the Poland Presbyterian Church members and members of the PJWC.
The event is free, but donations for the PJWC were accepted. The money raised goes to the club for the other events they host and is put into a scholarship fund for two Poland Seminary High School senior students.
WFMJ’s Jennifer Brindisi and Steve Vesey were the emcees for the event. They announced the entertainment for the night which included music from Poland Union students, Gospel Baptist Church and several others local groups.
“The tree stays on through the rest of the holidays as well as other lights that are put up,” said LaPlante.