Getting in the holiday spirit at Winter Wonderland
Karonhiaráhstha’s Winter Wonderland is in full swing for its 10th edition, taking place until this Saturday at 4 p.m.
Twenty-one beautifully decorated trees are on display in a large, well-heated tent near Playground Poker this year, each donated and decorated by a business in town or by the family and loved ones of someone they wish to be memorialized by the tree.
“It’s always a shock to see the trees every year, because you don’t know what to expect, and you don’t know what everyone is going to come up with,” said Emily Kane, events coordinator for the Kateri Memorial Fund (KMF).
“I think that as the years go by, people are getting more creative with their trees.”
Some of the creative ideas this year include a construction site diorama for the tree in memory of Wayne Rice and Janice Two Axe, the Montreal Canadiens man-cave tree, and Original Tobacco Traders’ Charlie Brown Christmas, to name but a few.
When you walk through the front door, it already feels a lot like the holidays, even if it is still just mid-November.
“You see all the children’s excitement, all the families who come see their tree for the first time. It’s just so exciting, you don’t want it to end,” said Kane.
She also said that without the volunteers and their hard work, the event could not be put on and run as well as it has been.
This year, $20 gets you 42 prize tickets, which can then be used to try to win a tree - and all the gifts under it, too.
Sign up for email updates from The Eastern Door
The drawing for the winners of the trees will be happening on November 23 at 6 p.m., after doors close for the final day of the Wonderland. The draw will be streamed live on Facebook on KMF’s Facebook page.
Half-and-half tickets are also available. At time of writing, the winner would receive over $23,000 for a winning half-and-half ticket.
The funds raised by the Winter Wonderland will go towards post-secondary education initiatives for students in the community, as well as the Kateri Food Basket, addiction support, parenting bereavement support, and CPR training, among others.
