The Anten Mills Christmas in the Village was a tremendous success this year and a great way to cap off our Anten Mills Celebrating 150 Years. Saturday night the community park was a buzz with kids of all ages. While hot chocolate, hot dogs and cookies were served they played in the snow and lined up to ride the Snow Valley SnoTube slide. With the cold temperature and lots of snow they received a fun ride with lots of speed and distance. At the appointed hour, the jolly old elf with all clad in red with a flowing white beard made his appearance escorted with our volunteer firefighters. Children lined up to tell Santa what they wished for this Christmas and of course Santa reminded them that the better be good and stay off the naughty list. At 7 PM Santa led the count down and the tree was lit up with over 1000 glowing lights along with the ground displays. The sky was then filled with sparkles of red, white and green as the evening concluded with a fantastic fireworks display.
Sunday with clear blue skies and cold weather, it was time for the 28th annual Santa Claus parade. Starting at the intersection of Laddies Lane and Pinery the parade wound its way through the streets of the village. Groups were gathered all along the route waving at the participants and accepting the treats they handed out. Of course everyone was waiting for Santa and again escorted by the members of the Springwater Fire and Emergency Services he along with Mrs Claus didn’t disappoint. Santa brought greetings to all and even caught the attention of some who were on his nice and naughty list reminding them that he would soon be filling their stockings and bringing gifts under the tree.
Before the parade started, Mayor Coughlin along with Councillors Thompson and Garwood had the opportunity to check out the parade participants before they headed off. This was to determine what group was “The Elf of the Village “ or on “The Naughty or Nice List” or perhaps who received them”Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Award”. After much discussion the banners were awarded in order to Carter Hay, the McLaughlin Street gang and to the Tantalo family. Each group got the start of a pizza party from our generous sponsors.
The spirit of giving was evident at both events and the Elmvale and District Food Bank received a truckload of items to fill their shelves. As well the Simcoe County Paramedics Toy Drive had a bounty of gifts for them to share.
Our community events are successful because of the support of our volunteers and sponsors. A big thanks goes to Joan, Becca, Jase, Georgia, Callia, Gord, Pat, Mike, Judy, Judy, Andy, Karen, Teddy, Lindsay, Izzy, Harry, Brian, Irene,Chris, Ally, Megan, Rick, Brad, Doug, Brent and Lawrence for their support in making the weekend a success. To the Wilson family a big thank you for your continued donation of the fireworks and as well to McLaren Equipment, the Springwater Vespra Lions Club and to an anonymous community family for their financial support. Snow Valley Ski Resort is thanked as well for being great supporters for a number of years by bringing the SnoTube ride which is enjoyed by all. The Christmas in the Village was a fitting end to the Anten Mills Celebrating 150 Years events.
There was great news on Saturday from the ice rink volunteers. For the first time in an unknown number of years, the rink is open very early in the season and well before the holiday season. The cold weather and snow has made for perfect conditions to make ice and after many hours of work it was officially set to be used for the season. Thanks go out to the Cruises,the Cunliffes, Pearts and Kants for their work. The rink is open to all at all times and should shinny hockey and recreational skaters be on at the same time, sharing the ice by separating them is expected. It is early in the season and if it is posted or signed closed, please respect the information and remain off of the ice.
There are only a few more days before the amount of daylight starts to get longer. Sunday, December 21 is both the shortest day of the year and has the longest night. It will be nice to have longer daylight hours again.
Over the Christmas holiday season there is an event bird watchers may be interested in. On Sunday, December 28 there is a bird count at Matheson Creek Camp on Gill Rd. The event is free and begins at 9AM with hot drinks and snacks provided. More information can be found on their Facebook page.
If you have travelled along Horseshoe Valley Rd in the village lately you may have seen the start of a very large snow person. Keep watching and in the next edition there may be an announcement of great interest for everyone.
Christmas Eve is always special. Families and friends join together in anticipation of Christmas. On Christmas Eve the volunteer firefighters of Springwater Fire and Emergency Services have a special task. For close to 50 years, Santa Claus has asked them to transport him around the communities so he may wish them a Merry Christmas. This year is no exception and around 6:30 PM there is a good chance that Santa will be here in Anten Milis. Check the Anten Mills Community Bulletin Facebook page for the map and updates on Santa’s arrival. Of course should there be any emergencies that the firefighters need to attend, Santa wants them to look after those first.
That’s all for this week and for the year 2025. On behalf of my family and myself we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year.
THANKS for READING, BE WELL and STAY SAFE.