Valley Stream Winterfest spreads village cheer

The village of Valley Stream celebrated their annual holiday Winterfest event on Dec. 3rd and 4th. Residents enjoyed a grand display of twinkling lights and a sprinkling of glowing decorations festooned throughout Arthur J. Hendrickson Park. Families walked through the brightly lit path leading to the Community Center where everyone would gather to cheer on the arrival of Kriss Kringle. A selection of Christmas tunes played by the Westbury Salvation Army band could be heard along the outset of the pathway as well as the ringing charity bell of Major Young Sun Kim from the Hempstead Salvation Army next to the red kettle.
At the Community Center grounds, members from Valley Stream Boy Scouts Troop 116 and Troop 99 handed out cups of piping hot chocolate to families. Inside the Community Center building, children of all ages were offered to sit at a table and prepare holiday arts and crafts, courtesy of Community Center Manager Sallyann Esposito and her team with the aid of the Valley Stream Youth Council. A special room was also reserved for village children to write and send their wish letter to Santa Claus run by volunteers from the Sparkle Girls Empowerment group.
By about 7 p.m., the throng of merry families gathered outside as dozens of village children, armed to the teeth in scarfs and mittens, waited out in the cold to welcome the arrival of Jolly Old Saint Nick. After much anticipation, the blaring noise of fire sirens rattled the park as Mayor Edwin Fare welcomed Saint Nick to stand beside him to do the honors of lighting up the tree. The mayor started off the countdown from 10, and after the last second, cheers erupted through the crowd as the big man in red pulled the lever, illuminating the tree. To round off the festive night, families lined up to have their turn to sit with Santa on his sled and pose for pictures.