Thousands crowd Stony Brook Village Center for holiday event
Stony Brook Village Center was buzzing with holiday activities on Sunday, Dec. 4. Thousands of residents from the Three Village and surrounding communities attended the 43rd Annual Holiday Festival presented by The Ward Melville Heritage Organization.
Santa was on the scene in the afternoon to take children’s requests and pose for photos in front of the Stony Brook Post Office. Attendees also strolled through the shopping center to listen to music, visit the petting zoo in front of Rustic Loft and enjoy a performance from the Roseland School of Dance students.
The holiday celebration featured the Legends & Spies Puppet Parade led by the Ward Melville High School marching band. Handlers marched through the shopping center with giant puppets depicting local famous people, including Culper spies Anna Smith Strong, Caleb Brewster and Benjamin Tallmadge as well as philanthropists Ward and Dorothy Melville.
The night was capped off with a tree lighting on The Village Green with a countdown led by Santa Claus. Following the tree lighting, Santa Claus gave a recap of the gifts children asked for that day at the WMHO Holiday Thank You Party. He said he’s always surprised that among the more modern items requested, children still ask for classic toys such as trucks, and on Sunday, he said 18 boys and girls asked for yo-yos.
He said the funniest encounter of the day was when a girl told him she wanted a toy dog, loud enough so her mother could hear. She then whispered to Santa and said, “I really want a live one, but please don’t tell my mom.”
