Another Busy Week of Events at Naples North Pole!
Saturday was a busy day for Santa and The Village Shops Elves! The day began at Grace Place for Children and Families preparing for a Bike Giveaway event. By 11am, Santa was situated in his chair excited to visit with children, ranging in age from kindergarteners to high school students, all listed on Santa’s “Nice List”.
Families lined up and the children, one by one, sat on Santa’s lap, took photos, and discussed their goals for the year. Along with a complimentary printed photo, Santa presented each child with a special gift bag filled with helmets and locks and then sent them out to the courtyard to receive their brand new bike!
The bikes, decked out in Christmas bows, ranged in size and color and were minutes away from being driven to their new home.
The look on each child’s face said it all as they hopped on their bike for a test drive!
Western Bike adjusted the bike to fit the children perfectly and off they went!
The Village Shops was proud to partner with Grace Place to provide 79 deserving children with new bikes. Grace Place is composed of programs to serve the entire family by including early childhood education, youth education, adult education, P.A.C.T. (parent and child together) time and interactive family literacy activities. By engaging both the parent and child, Grace Place’s programs provide a comprehensive model to create an educational environment beyond the classroom and into the home.
At 3pm, when the event ended, Santa and his elves met up with Mrs. Claus in Naples North Pole to begin an evening full of excitement at Holiday on the Bay. As Santa approached his chair in front of the illuminated Christmas tree, applause roared through The Village from families in line awaiting their complimentary printed and emailed photos.
As families finished their photos with Santa, they visited with the animals from Kowiachobee Animal Preserve, read stories with Mrs. Claus, and sang along to the songs sang by the Dickens Holiday Carolers.
At 6pm, the talented dancers from Backstage Dance Academy took the stage and boy did they draw a crowd! The Christmas songs played through the speakers and the dancers moved all over the stage ending the show with a curtsy and a standing ovation from the audience.
As the dancers left the stage, the countdown to the snow show began! At 7pm, The Village Shops became a Winter Wonderland with snow flurries coming down on both the north and south side.
This past weekend concluded another fun week of events. Mark your calendars for the remaining Holiday on the Bay dates of December 14thand 21stfrom 5-8pm and December 24thfrom 2-5pm. Don’t forget, there are only 14 shopping days until Christmas! Visit your favorite retailers to finish shopping for everyone on your list!