Santa, Mrs. Claus & other holiday happenings

Not even a pandemic could keep Santa and Mrs. Claus from making their annual pre-Christmas stops in Groton this year.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 did call a halt to the annual tree lighting on Main Street, the traditional event at which Santa had been making a grand entrance since at least December 2010, but it did not keep him from making a few other safe and socially distant appearances.

Santa began his day Saturday, Dec. 19, having breakfast at Casper’s Kitchen, 118 Main St. That fact was not as well-known as the village parade Santa had initiated for noon that day, but the word that he would be at Casper’s did leak out, so several children were able to see him there. A great breakfast and visit were enjoyed by all.

Between breakfast and the step-off for the parade, Santa picked up Mrs. Claus to ride in the sleigh with him. He’d needed to leave all his tiny reindeer at the North Pole so they could rest for their long ride on Christmas Eve. Thus, Santa had called Fire Chief Ben Nelson and was able to arrange for the Groton Fire and Ambulance crew to pull him and Mrs. Claus through town on the sleigh instead.

Now, for those who had been keeping up with Santa’s plans via this column, you may have pictured firefighters, paramedics, ambulance drivers and others in the organization to literally be walking and pulling the sleigh through the village streets. I know I did!

As it turned out, the Groton Fire Department placed Santa’s sleigh, with Mrs. Claus and him in it, onto a trailer and pulled it with one of the emergency vehicles, accompanied by several more fire engines sounding their sirens and flashing their lights, with Groton Police Department cars flanking the entourage at the front and back.

It was an impressive sight, one that will no doubt remain in the hearts and minds of the children and adults alike who lined the streets of Groton for their chance to see Santa and wave as he rode by.

If you missed either of those Santa sightings, all is not lost. Both Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at Scottland Lights, 411 Peru Rd., handing out candy canes on Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24 from 5 to 6:45 p.m.

Santa said he will leave promptly at 6:45 p.m. that evening so he can attend church before he and the reindeer drop Mrs. Claus back off at home at the North Pole to start their epic all-night journey to deliver gifts.

For those who may not have had a chance to experience the incredible Scottland Lights show, it will run until Wednesday, Jan. 6, looping daily from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursdays and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There are two separate shows this year. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, the show is 34 minutes, Monday and Wednesday is a 47-minute show, and both shows are combined on Friday and Saturday for a total of 1 hour and 14 minutes. Pull your vehicle off to the side of the road and tune your car radio in to 89.7 on the FM dial.

Though Santa won’t be seen again at Casper’s Kitchen this year, there is an opportunity for the community to experience the warmth of this season of giving there beginning at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Kevin Griffin, owner of Casper’s, will be hosting a “Pay it Forward” day until closing at 1 p.m. He was given $150 to bless the people of Groton and will pay every food check until the money runs out.

Griffin explained that he has done this in the past and that “everyone seems to get in the spirit by people keeping it going all day by giving $10 or $20 or whatever they can.”

Contact Casper’s for current hours at casperskitchenhelp@gmail.com or (607) 220-8347. Casper’s will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

It’s heartening to know that our little town and village have been able to rise above the truly abnormal times we are all going through to do things that bring joy and give some semblance of normalcy to the situation.

Were this a “normal” December, we would have experienced our usual arrival of Santa and tree lighting accompanied by hot cocoa, sugar cookies, candy canes and music, as well as gifts from Santa for all the children who were present.

There would have been Christmas caroling being done, Santa would have also made a stop at the Groton Public Library to give books to children, and there would have been a plethora of free refreshments at Groton’s businesses, just to name a few of the things that were out of our spheres of control this year.

Whether you are new to Groton or someone who has been here long enough to know what some of these memories are and mean, I hope this will cause you to think, and perhaps even dream, of what you can do next year to make Groton’s usual “Home for the Holidays” the best one ever.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922.

In brief:

Family Fun Kits

The Groton Public Library is offering “Family Fun Kits” for anyone wishing to check them out, first come, first served.

These are themed fun kits full of interactive items that promote creativity, learning and just plain fun! The kits contain almost all you’ll need to enjoy things such as cooking, LEGO challenge, knitting, sewing, science experiments and more. To reserve call (607) 898-5055.

Village parking restrictions

During the winter, the village of Groton plows and cinders the streets as needed. The emphasis is placed on the hills on Elm Street, West Cortland Street and Clark Street, with the side streets to follow. No parking is allowed on village streets from 2 to 6 a.m. from Nov. 1 to

March 31 each year, which helps in the snow removal effort. Residents are asked not to plow, shovel or snow blow snow back into the streets. It is illegal under the State Vehicle and Traffic Law and can create a hazardous condition.

Roadway maintenance

The Department of Public Works maintains almost 11 miles of roadway within the village. Each year, the department attempts to pave certain streets, much dependent on the wear and tear of the street and the last time resurfacing was performed. The department also maintains the storm drainage system.