POINT PLEASANT BEACH — Point Pleasant Beach kicked off the holiday season on Friday with its annual tree lighting, welcoming the arrival of Santa to the downtown area as businesses opened their doors to enthusiastic attendees.
The decorated tree, located between The Beanery and Bam Bam Burger Co. on Bay Avenue, was surrounded by a large crowd filled with locals and visitors alike. Members of the Point Pleasant Beach High School band played holiday tunes as onlookers awaited Santa’s arrival on a fire truck.
At 5:30 p.m., Santa Claus joined Mayor Paul Kanitra, alongside his niece and dog, as well as Council President Douglas Vitale, Councilwoman Arlene Testa and Councilwoman Rosa Crowley for a countdown to the tree lighting.
“It’s my favorite event of the year in Point Pleasant Beach. It’s the definition of a community event. It’s a slice of Mayberry,” Mayor Kanitra told The Ocean Star. “It’s just like a Norman Rockwell painting here, and you can see by the crowd that everybody kind of feels the same way.”
After the tree was lit, Santa Claus traveled to Ocean County Music for pictures with attendees. Meanwhile, downtown Point Beach was filled with various activities for attendees of all ages, including horse-and-carriage rides, trips on fire trucks, DJ entertainment, a mechanical reindeer to ride and more. Children were also able to jump on inflated bouncy houses or play on an inflatable wipeout Meltdown machine.
The event is run and sponsored each year by the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce, an organization that works to promote borough businesses in order to advance the general prosperity of the community. Carol Vaccaro, executive director of the chamber, and other chamber members received many thanks from the borough council on their work that ensured the success of the event.
The businesses that lined the downtown streets propped their doors open to welcome attendees, many with tables outside of their buildings to provide a complimentary treat from the business, such as free holiday-themed glasses, hot chocolate and coffee from Wandering Sweets, or, in the case of Top That! Donuts, a choice of frosted or cinnamon donut.
Danielle Wolowitz, co-owner of Top That! Donuts, said, “For us, it brings together that community feel and that family feel, something that we’re all about at Top That! Donuts. We want to make sure that the family atmosphere is always prevailing and that we can create great memories for the kids, and this is just part of it.”
Other borough organizations contributed to making the night a success, including the police and fire department, along with the department of public works, who set everything up and helped to decorate the tree, according to Council President Douglas Vitale. He added that his favorite part of the event is seeing the smile on the kids’ faces.
The event concluded at 8:30 p.m., as kids, worn out from all of the fun, followed their families to return home. Still, the Christmas spirit lingered in the quiet downtown.
“In today’s society sometimes, you know, we get blinders on and we kind of just think about our own lives,” Mayor Kanitra said. “Having events like this that bring everybody together are important and coming on the heels of Thanksgiving when we really do have so much to be thankful for in Point Pleasant Beach, I think it gives people good perspective because a lot of people around the world have tough things going on and tough situations and, and I really think we’re living in the best town in New Jersey. You have to understand that and be grateful.”
He added, “We’re grateful for the business community, too. They open all their doors up. It’s a nice night for them, they make some good business on it, which is always important, still coming out of COVID. I think the best is yet to come for downtown Point Beach.”
The annual tree lighting was just the start of the holiday season for Point Pleasant Beach.
On Dec. 10, those looking to get into the holiday spirit can begin their day in downtown Point Pleasant Beach for the Ugly Holiday Sweater Shopping Day, also hosted by the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce. The event, which is scheduled for 12 to 4 p.m., is free and will be filled with shopping, discounts, refreshments — and of course, ugly sweaters.
Following their shopping day, attendees could then head over to Pleasure Park, which will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland from 4 to 7 p.m. Activities at this event include hot cocoa, popcorn and other foods, drinks and snacks; reindeer rides; a movie in the park; pictures with Santa; a pet-friendly photo booth; letters to Santa; holiday crafts; carolers; a DJ and more.
The suggested donations per family, as advised by the Point Pleasant Beach Recreation Committee, are a $5 to $10 unwrapped gift for Toys for Tots and $2 for funding for the recreation department, which can be given either by cash or check.
The town will continue to be lit up with more holiday decorations as Dec. 25 approaches, and those who deck their houses out in Christmas lights are encouraged to enter in the Holiday Lights contest.
The returning competition will feature three categories to enter into for prizes: Classic Holiday, Bold & Bright or Griswold Crazy. Entry into the categories is by the homeowner’s choice. The winner in each category will be awarded a $50 Chamber of Commerce gift card and a yard sign to show off their victory.
Recreation Committee members will vote for the competition on Thursday, Dec. 15, followed by an opportunity for registered voters on Dec. 18.
Addison Gallagher covers the town of Brick Township for Star News Group
© 2022 Star News Group. All rights reserved.
© 2022 Star News Group. All rights reserved.
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