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Campbell Judge moonlights as Santa
CAMPBELL
CAMPBELL
For the month of December, when he isn’t draped in robes and wielding a gavel, Campbell Municipal Court Judge Patrick Cunning spends his off-time moonlighting as the holiday season’s biggest celebrity.
While the judge isn’t the real Santa Claus and he lives far from the North Pole, he sometimes stands in for him at local events.
Initially, Cunning wore a fake beard when he dressed up, but after a close call with a child pulling on the beard, he decided to make his portrayal a bit more natural.
“That’s when I started growing out my beard for the outfit,” Cunning said. “Kids can’t pull it off, it keeps my face warm, and it just looks better.”
Cunning begins growing his beard July 1 and wears it through December, after which he trims it to a more manageable length until the spring, when he shaves completely.
Though Cunning has only been dressing in a full Santa Claus costume for the past several years, he’s been standing in for St. Nick for more than two decades.
“I originally was doing it for my nieces and nephews when they were children, about 25 years ago,” Cunning said. “I didn’t have the full suit back then, I’d just run around outside the house with a flashlight and tap on the windows ... The kids loved it.”
When the opportunity arose for Cunning to take his amateur Santa act big-time by filling in for him at local events, he jumped at the opportunity.
He’s played the part of Santa at events for the Knights of Columbus, for the Mahoning County Bar Association’s secretary’s luncheon and for the township of Coitsville and the city of Campbell.
Cunning has served as judge for both Campbell and Coitsville for the past 12 years. He was re-elected during November’s election and will begin his final six-year term beginning in January.
Even in the age of children having access to smartphones, tablets and computers from infancy, Cunning says kids are still excited to visit with Santa Claus.
“Oh, their eyes still light up, and they’re certainly still excited. Some of the younger kids can be a bit shy, but when you see some little boy or girl in awe because they’re meeting Santa, it’s wonderful,” Cunning said.