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Trenton ushers in holiday season with day of festivities

Santa waves at community members as he rides down State Street in Trenton during the Trenton Christmas Parade Saturday morning, Dec. 5. The parade began at the Trenton Community Park and ended at Barn N Bunk.

Contributed photo by Jessica Uttinger Santa waves at community members as he rides down State Street in Trenton during the Trenton Christmas Parade Saturday morning, Dec. 5. The parade began at the Trenton Community Park and ended at Barn N Bunk.

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By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer 11:36 PM Saturday, December 5, 2009

TRENTON — The holiday season officially started for Trenton Saturday, Dec. 5, with a day full of festivities geared toward fostering community relations.

Mayor Rhonda Freeze said the event truly “brings Christmas to town,” while building a sense of community togetherness.

“To see young children perform and all of us come together and celebrate — to me that’s what this community is all about,” Freeze said.

It was the first year Trenton stretched its annual holiday celebration out to an entire day, with the festivities typically crammed into several hours on a Friday night. This year saw activities sprinkled throughout the city, including a parade, scavenger hunt, visits with Santa and live entertainment all afternoon.

Mike Willis said he and 9-year-old daughter Kat have come out for the holiday celebration for the last five years they have lived in Trenton. And with the morning parade beginning right in their own backyard, Willis said it was both fun and convenient.

“We got to see it from the start, which was nice,” Willis said. “This event is such a great thing for the community. We moved here from Hamilton a few years ago and it’s just neat to have something like this.”

Sisters Arianna and Trista Gordon, respectively 5 and 8, said they had a lot of fun getting their faces painted and managing some face time with a certain jolly old elf.

“My favorite part was meeting Santa Claus,” Trista said. “We just love this town.”

Vice Mayor Calvin Woodrey said he thought the new format worked well for the celebration, getting additional businesses involved and sending residents out into the community in larger numbers.

“Instead of having the businesses pack up their stuff and come to one central location, we sent the people out to them,” Woodrey said. “They were really able to showcase their business and welcome customers inside. Everyone seemed satisfied with how this went.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or rgauthier@coxohio.com.

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