The Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District invites the community to kick-off the holiday season in downtown Glen Cove on Dec. 3, beginning at 1:30 p.m. when Santa Claus will arrive at Village Square by horse and carriage.
“Our annual holiday festival is always a wonderful way to bring our community together to celebrate the season,” said Patricia Holman, Executive Director of the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District. “Every year, we think of ways to make the event bigger and better by offering something new, and this year is no exception.”
Santa will make himself cozy in his den in Village Square from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., posing for free photos for families to take home. Families can warm up with the hot cocoa bar, children can complete their wish lists by writing letters to Santa, and get creative at the stocking decorating station. There will be plenty of free candy canes, hot cocoa, cookies, popcorn balls, and other special treats for all to enjoy before or after a free carriage ride throughout the downtown streets. And new this year, children and their parents can take a choo-choo train ride along a track on Bridge Street.
The fun doesn’t stop there: visits from the Grinch and Martha May are expected, and the Glen Cove Downtown B.I.D. has secured a long list of talent to entertain the community throughout the day. This includes performances by the Glen Cove High School Jazz Band, Glen Cove High School Orchestra, Our Lady of Mercy Academy Select Choir, Mercy Dance Company, Jazz Hands Children’s Theatre, Christopher Moll, Steven Dahlke, St. Dominic’s Chorus and Dance Company, the Slayer Players, Downtown Sounds Teen Idol Lexi Briones, Downtown Sounds Teen Idol Runner-up Charlotte Marchioli, and the Sleigh Bells. At 4:45 p.m. join Mayor Pam Panzenbeck for the City of Glen Cove’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting.
In addition, attendees can shop the Holiday Marketplace of local artisans from the Deep Roots Farmers Market. About 20 vendors will be stationed around Village Square throughout the day so residents can get a start on their holiday shopping.
“It is such a wonderful time of year to give back to our community and give thanks to all who make this event possible,” Holman said. “Without our generous sponsors, this would not be possible: American Paving & Masonry, Henry’s Confectionery, Take It Away, Glen Floors, Glen Cove Eye Care, Long Island Video Enterprises, and How Can I Help Elder Care. I would also like to extend a thank-you to the Department of Public Works, which collaborates with the B.I.D. every year to transform the downtown streets into a winter wonderland with the festive decorations that the Glen Cove Downtown B.I.D. provides.”
