Proud To Be Apart of The QBH Family! What An Awesome Event 🙂
It’s been going on since 1942. According to Master of Ceremonies Leonardtown Councilman Roger Mattingly, the Leonardtown Fire Department has been lighting a tree on the town square ever since then. Mattingly, who is the council member in charge of events, told the crowd that packed the square that the Christmas on the Square event on Black Friday seems to be getting bigger every year. It would have been hard on Friday to pack any more people on the square, with at times it being nearly impossible to walk through the masses.
The attraction for families is the arrival of Santa on a fire truck and then his meeting with kids and getting their Christmas wish lists. Santa assisted Mattingly and Town Mayor Dan Burris in lighting the tree. But there were events all over town starting at 5 p.m.
Stage performances included Bella School of Music, Piney Point Elementary School, Gracie’s Guys and Gals Dance Troupe, the Leonardtown Baptist Church Choir, and the Bootscooters!
There were rides of all kinds, including sleigh rides, horse & carriage rides, train rides, hay rides and fire truck rides. The rides included a tour around the historical county seat town, including stops at the old jail and Tudor Hall, the ancestral home of the Key family, which included Francis Scott Key. This year the rides began in front of the Winegardner Auto showroom to avoid the congestion that occurred last year with the conflict between the rides and Santa’s arrival.
Inside Winegardner was a Christmas Festival sponsored by the Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad Auxiliary. There were decorated trees and wreaths, an electric train display, a silent auction and chances to win a wagon full of toys worth over $500! .
Before Santa’s arrival kids had a chance to meet Mrs. Claus under a warm tent which also included face painting activities.
Christmas on the Square was sponsored by the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department, the Leonardtown Business Association and the Commissioners of Leonardtown, with gratitude to their community financial partners: Two Guys Auto Body, Winegardner Automotive, Quality Built Homes, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, PNC Bank, Burris’ Olde Towne Insurance, and the College of Southern Maryland.
See the slideshow with this article with photos by Tiffany Bartheleme that better tells the story of the good time had by all, both young and young at heart.
Source: http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/34571
"Southern Maryland Living" With Connie Fitzgerald, Mechanicsville MD 