(Dec. 17, 2015) Santa in the Park continues in Ocean Pines this weekend at White Horse Park.
The free meet-and-greet with everyone’s favorite jolly old elf is in its first year and has been a success, according to Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Director Sonya Bounds.
“We’ve had a really good response to it so far,” she said. “People have said it’s a little more relaxed than the mall, because you can take your time and take your own pictures and talk to [Santa] without feeling like the next guy is waiting for you.”
Bounds said one of the nice things about Ocean Pines’ take on the classic summit with Santa is that the association has employed the same St. Nicholas for more than a decade.
“There are kids that have grown up with the same Santa in pictures every year,” she said. “That does make it really neat.”
Ocean Pines Public Works built a custom Santa house for the event, which started on Dec. 6.
Along with visiting Santa, families have been able to take advantage of the various amenities in the park during the recent spell of warmer-than-usual December weather. For the kids, that means frolicking in one of the more popular playgrounds in the community. Adults, on the other hand, can take advantage of the dozens of holiday displays created for the Hometown Christmas event by Ocean Pines businesses, clubs, families and individuals, all of which are still on display.
That, said Bounds, is another thing that separates Ocean Pines from the traditional mall setting.
“I think it’s more of a family thing in Ocean Pines,” she said. “Take the commercialism out of it. You’re in the park, you’re in your community and you’re out there with the Christmas trees that everyone put their heart and soul in. It brings it back to the hometown and the family atmosphere of it.
“That, and the weather has been a huge blessing, and we have a great playground,” she added. “If the holiday activities keep growing here we’re just going to fill the whole daggone park with lights and trees, and that would be great.”
Santa in the Park runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 20.
For more information, contact the Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department at 410-641-7052.
The free meet-and-greet with everyone’s favorite jolly old elf is in its first year and has been a success, according to Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Director Sonya Bounds.
“We’ve had a really good response to it so far,” she said. “People have said it’s a little more relaxed than the mall, because you can take your time and take your own pictures and talk to [Santa] without feeling like the next guy is waiting for you.”
Bounds said one of the nice things about Ocean Pines’ take on the classic summit with Santa is that the association has employed the same St. Nicholas for more than a decade.
“There are kids that have grown up with the same Santa in pictures every year,” she said. “That does make it really neat.”
Ocean Pines Public Works built a custom Santa house for the event, which started on Dec. 6.
Along with visiting Santa, families have been able to take advantage of the various amenities in the park during the recent spell of warmer-than-usual December weather. For the kids, that means frolicking in one of the more popular playgrounds in the community. Adults, on the other hand, can take advantage of the dozens of holiday displays created for the Hometown Christmas event by Ocean Pines businesses, clubs, families and individuals, all of which are still on display.
That, said Bounds, is another thing that separates Ocean Pines from the traditional mall setting.
“I think it’s more of a family thing in Ocean Pines,” she said. “Take the commercialism out of it. You’re in the park, you’re in your community and you’re out there with the Christmas trees that everyone put their heart and soul in. It brings it back to the hometown and the family atmosphere of it.
“That, and the weather has been a huge blessing, and we have a great playground,” she added. “If the holiday activities keep growing here we’re just going to fill the whole daggone park with lights and trees, and that would be great.”
Santa in the Park runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 20.
For more information, contact the Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department at 410-641-7052.