Thanks to Everyone Who Helped Make our 13th Annual Christmas Tree-Lighting Celebration Magical!
On behalf of the Anderson Farm Museum Heritage Society, I would like to thank everyone who helped make our 13th annual Christmas Tree-Lighting Celebration such a magical Christmas event at the Anderson Farm Museum on Sat. Dec.7.
More than 500 people of all ages joined us, coming from Walden and the City of Greater Sudbury.
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived by horse-drawn wagon for our official tree-lighting ceremony and were enthusiastically swarmed by all the little children.
After Forbes Stoodley, president AFMHS, MPP France Gélinas, and Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini welcomed everyone, Christmas carols and songs were sung by choirs from R.H. Murray PS, Ecole St. Paul, Walden PS and Heidi Meier, from Massey. Listening to the young people singing, beside our huge Christmas tree, in front of the Farm House, brought the real meaning of Christmas to everyone.
Inside the stable, children met with Santa and Mrs. Claus and everyone enjoyed free hot chocolate and coffee, provided by Tim Horton’s Lively; Free chocolate and white milk, provided by Manitoulin/West Sudbury Dairy Producers; Christmas cookies and fresh popcorn, prepared and served by Hailey Orser and the 2964 Walden Irish Army Cadets.
Inside the Granary, visitors discovered Santa’s Helpers, displays of vintage toys and woodworking projects by Walden Seniors Woodworkers and enjoyed free refreshments.
Families were excited to meet some of our Walden volunteer firefighters with their fire trucks. And there were long lineups to take free Wagon Wheel Ranch rides, sponsored by Focus Health-Wellness & Physiotherapy, to see the Christmas lights.
PURE Country 91.7 collected items for their December Diaper Drive and the Walden Lions Club collected non-perishable food for the Walden Food Bank. And some donations were dropped off at the main entrance and loaded into the ATV donated by Marc Benoit.
Our free shuttle bus, from T.M. Davies Arena parking lots, right into the grounds of the museum (5-8:30 p.m.) was a huge success again this year.
Special Thanks to Reg White, Ken Yasinowski and Ed Wolski [Walden Seniors and Pensioners Woodworkers] who spent two days hanging strings of Christmas lights on our evergreen tree, Windmill, Barn, Creighton Log Cabin, Granary and Sea Can and Equipment North who provided a 65-foot boom truck to do the job; Don Dodds and Eric Benoit, who manned the barricades at the main entrance; 2964 Walden Irish Army Cadets; MC Forbes Stoodley; photographer Deb Ullman; Shake It Up Sound & Lighting, Walden Home Hardware and our AFMHS board, who worked tirelessly before, during and after our Christmas celebration.
Our Long-Term Media Sponsors: PURE Country 91.7 & The Sudbury Star and local media who helped us promote our annual Christmas-tree-lighting celebration.
The AFM Heritage Society wishes everyone a Happy New Year!
Leslee Salo
CIO AFMHS