Trending
Organizers of Follansbee Christmas in the Park say the holiday season should be filled with the spirit of giving.
And that's why they continue to share proceeds from the annual event with members of the community.
The festival has been a staple on the region's October calendar of events for more than two decades. It offers residents from the Tri-State Area the chance to get an early start on the Christmas season, while raising money to help others.
This year's beneficiaries were recognized during Monday's meeting of City Council. They include the Follansbee R.E.A.C.H. Program and the families of Scott Haught and Robert Groch, children with special medical needs.
Haught has undergone surgery and other treatment for cancer in his abdomen and other areas of his body, while Groch is a teen who has undergone regular treatment for epilepsy since he was 8. Their families will each receive $3,000. R.E.A.C.H., meanwhile, will receive $2,000, money that will be used to help it continue its mission of providing food to local residents in need.
Money for the donations was raised through numerous drawings held throughout the festival, as well as donations and vendor fees.
Festival co-chairs Bill Secrist and Stacey Williams, along with members of the organizing committee, once again have earned the thanks of the community for their hard work and generosity, components that have made the event special since Secrist and Kathy Santoro launched it 21 years ago. Thanks also are due Trinity Health System, the festival's major sponsor; the Nelson family, which loaned some of its life-size nutcrackers from the Steubenville Nutcracker Village for the two-day festival; council for the use of Follansbee Park and the Follansbee Community House and city crews involved in preparations and cleanup.
Area residents and organizers already are looking forward to next October, when Christmas in the Park once again will bring that special spirit of giving to the region a couple of months early.