Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
Organizers say this year’s Traditional Christmas at the Sturgeon River House Museum was the most successful so far. The event was held on Saturday December 3rd as part of the municipality’s “Rockin’ Around West Nipissing” holiday events schedule.
“This year’s Traditional Christmas (…) was a resounding success with over 300 people attending the event. It was great to see so many people gather to enjoy the festivities,” describes Roxanne Lefebvre, Sturgeon River House Museum Coordinator, who called the turnout “record breaking.”
The event included attractions for the whole family, ranging from live music, arts and crafts vendors, children’s activities, and a visit from Santa Claus himself. The museum was also open for anyone wanting to visit the regular exhibits. As soon as you entered, you could hear the live music as the duo Esther and Company played tunes in the main hall. Vendors were posted in one hall along with tables for people to sit and have a lunch catered by Sonia’s Patio. On the second floor was the “kids’ room” where children could draw in colouring books or participate in the museum’s scavenger hunt.
The Traditional Christmas went from 10am until 3pm, and Santa made his appearance around 1 o’clock, bringing gifts with him. Kids got to talk to Santa, tell him what they wanted for Christmas and pose for photos.
“The holiday spirit radiated throughout the day and the feedback we received was very positive. A huge thank you to Santa for taking the time out of his busy schedule to visit us at the museum,” beamed Lefebvre, very pleased with the turnout.
She hopes that next year will be even better. “We (…) want to build on this momentum of community engagement. The museum staff is working diligently on organizing more events and programming for 2023. There is so much more to come, and we hope to see more people enjoy what the museum has to offer!”
