A slight nip in the air put everyone into a particularly festive holiday mood at Christmas in Downtown, traditionally held the Friday after Thanksgiving. Northerners visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday felt right at home, looking with humor at the shivering Veroites.
A Holiday Craft Fair, non-profit booths and food vendors lined the streets and walkways leading to the Heritage Center, where even more booths were set up. CASTLE, the charity of the evening, got a little extra help from the Long Branch Saloon with a motorcycle poker run and pedestrian poker run to raise funds to help fight child abuse. (Check out the photo gallery at the end of this article.) Children bided their time while waiting for Santa by decorating ornaments and Christmas stockings at Exchange Club and Homeless Family Center booths. Musical entertainment by several local teenage bands, Emanon, Stringsations, Urban Warfare and Mercury warmed up the crowds who were later treated to the sounds of E.S.P., a Florida-based group with well deserved recognition.
Just after dark came the moment all good little boys and girls were awaiting – Santa arrived in an antique convertible car and joined Vero Beach Mayor Kevin Sawnick for the official tree lighting at Pocahontas Park.
Santa and Mrs. Claus visited with hundreds of children at the Santa House Gazebo in front of the Heritage Center. Some rattled off long lists with confidence or shyly asked for something special. A few of the younger ones hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet, but he handled them all as only Santa can do. {igallery 106}