Santa Claus posed inside a storefront to take photos with hundreds of kids and families. Volunteers from the schools costumed as cartoon characters prowled the crowd. Choruses from eight schools sang songs either acappella, to acoustic guitar, or with backing tracks. The 22nd annual Winterfest event in North Bergen on Thursday, Dec. 4, brought out about 2,500 people, according to official estimates.
Children were treated to a rock climbing tower and other activities. A petting zoo sprawled over one corner of James Braddock Park, while a horse and buggy took riders on a short jaunt through the park to raise money for the Bruins football team.
“It’s very festive,” enthused North Bergen resident Anna De Soto, after she enjoyed a carriage ride with her son Oscar, 17, and daughter Ariana, 6. “To get you in mood for Christmas. We moved here three years ago and we’ve been coming here every year since. She likes it. That’s the important part.”
“If she’s happy, we’re happy,” added Oscar.
Grown and grown and grown
Beginning with a parade down Bergenline Avenue from 85th to 76th Streets, the festival ran from about 6 to 10 p.m. Ten blocks were closed to traffic and filled with partygoers, while the overflow crowded the restaurants and shops on either side of the street.
Mayor Nicholas Sacco acted as emcee for the school choruses and introduced each group to whoops of excitement and applause from the packed crowd. Other town officials helped out up and down the avenue, including Board of Education President Julio Marenco and various teachers, who handed out popcorn to the kids.
“This started out small 22 years ago,” said Commissioner Hugo Cabrera, recalling the event’s beginning as a simple holiday parade one Saturday. “Throughout the years it’s just grown and grown and grown to what it is today. The weather helps, too. When it’s nice out, people just come.”
“This started out small 22 years ago. Throughout the years it’s just grown and grown and grown to what it is today.” – Hugo Cabrera
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More than 80 police officers volunteered their time to provide a strong presence and ensure the streets were safe.
More activities
“We came last year by accident,” said Priscilla Garcia. She attended with daughter Azriel, who was two days away from her fourth birthday. “We live on 79th Street. I was walking to a store and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then this year we made an effort to come. I love it. They’ve got so much stuff for the kids. The picture with Santa was awesome. It was her first picture with Santa so it was really nice.”
Down by the south end of the event another group of volunteers had set up shop in a storefront to paint the faces of children. This was the high school FCCLA, the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, also known as the “crumbs,” who raised money for their ongoing project of baking cookies and shipping them to troops overseas.
“This is our big fundraiser to help us for the ingredients and the postage,” said high school fashion and textiles teacher Marlene Sapoff, a.k.a. the chief crumb. “And we have wonderful volunteers.”
Out on the street, Zailly Lazo and daughter Anih, 4, wore colorfully painted designs on their cheeks – and big, beaming smiles.
“I think it’s better this year,” said mom Zailly, a return attendee at Winterfest. “They have more activities for the kids. Last year it wasn’t this open. Now it’s longer.”
And what did Anih think?
“I want to go to the bouncy house!”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.