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December was filled with great times and many lasting memories at the Parks & Recreation events. We kicked off the holiday season right after Thanksgiving with our very popular Holiday Crafting and Present Making parties that were held for various age groups and our Bowling Buddies group at the McAlister School on November 30 and December 7. Participants made a variety of quality handmade crafts and cards for the holidays. Next was the town wide “Suffield Alight”.

Photo provided by Peter Leclerc
The Cocca family with Santa

Suffield Alight

On Friday, December 2 the town of Suffield held their annual Suffield Alight holiday tree lighting on the Suffield Town Green. The evening’s featured highlight was the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus on a horse drawn carriage to light Suffield’s holiday tree. After the tree was illuminating the Suffield night sky, Santa and Mrs. Clause then settled in the gazeebo to meet with children of all ages. The event was even greater this year with more activities. Some new activities included, Christmas caroling with the Grinch, horse drawn carriage rides, and an arts and crafts station. This year there were also food trucks that consisted of Fire on the Mountain BBQ and Chick-fil-A. Suffield Academy provided delicious hot chocolate to event goers. Mike Rondeau, a talented ice sculpture artist created a holiday wreath with the words “Happy Holidays Suffield” carved into ice. Roaring Acres Alpacas and the Boy Scouts Troop #260 & #262 also brought lots of excitement to the event. Overall, it was a wonderful event to see so many Suffield families enjoying the start of the holiday season together!

On Tuesday, December 13 and Thursday, December 15, Suffield Parks and Recreation connected their phone lines with the North Pole to bring some holiday joy to over 80 of Suffield’s youth. There were many elves who made phone calls for two hours on both nights. This program provided much holiday cheer to both children and parents. The elves would check in with the children about their school year, families, behavior and gift wish list. Children spoke freely regarding these topics creating one of a kind phone calls. This program was a great experience for the children and also our high school elves who made the phone calls throughout the two nights.

Our back-to-back Breakfast and Crafting with Santa that was held at the Senior Center on Saturday, December 10 both had sold out, so we added on other special event-Cookies, Cocoa and Crafting with Santa. Participants enjoyed a delicious breakfast put on by Mary Lou Brewster- (Assistant to the Senior Center Director). Next, families made a variety of holiday crafts and then proceeded to have individual and personalized visits with Santa! The smiles from the children lit up the Senior Center brighter than any holiday tree imaginable!

The Suffield Parks and Recreation Bowling Buddies group celebrated the holiday season with our annual holiday party at Spare Time VIP Lanes on Tuesday, December 20. Spare Time is an excellent location for a party. The food is delicious, the staff is accommodating and the location is great.

Bowling Buddies group and families bowled, danced and dined the night away. The holiday party was filled with excitement camaraderie while celebrating the holidays with family and friends. Once again, Kevin Landolina, was our volunteer DJ and spun everyone’s favorite tunes. The party is very important to the group and the true meaning of the holidays were abundant at the event and at our activities throughout the season.

While schools were on winter break recess, the Suffield Parks & Recreation Department held a Winter Break Camp. The program started December 27 and continued until December 29. Camp was held inside the Senior Center for these days. Campers spent their time participating in many different activities that included, sports and games in the gym, various forms of winter and New Year’s arts and crafts and exploring games in the Youth Center. This Winter Break camp was great way for kids to interact and have fun with others during their holiday break.

We capped off the end of 2022 with a pre-New Year’s Party for the bowling group at the Senior Center. Participants played a variety of fun games, completed New Year’s resolutions and goal sheet shares and enjoyed delicious Chinese food from Cheng’s Gourmet Kitchen.

Many thanks to all the participants for registering for all of our programs throughout the year. We are wishing you and your families a wonderful 2023, and we hope that you will be registering for all of our upcoming programs.

Register Winter and Spring Programs!

Are you and your family looking to have fun, get fit or learn a new hobby or skill this winter and spring? We have a variety of fun, new programs for youth and families at the Parks and Recreation Department. For a full listing of all of our programs and to register, please visit www.suffieldrec.com Please also be sure to “like” the Suffield Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with programs and upcoming events.

Are you interested in a rewarding job this summer? Now is the time to start planning!

We are seeking Summer Camp staff including: Certified Lifeguards, WSI’s. Camp Directors, Counselors and Junior Counselors (Counselors must be at least 16 and Junior Counselors must be at least 14 year old), and Gate Attendants/Event Staff. Final application deadline: Friday, March 17. Applications can be found on the suffieldrec.com website or stop by the office at 145 Bridge Street. Please apply early.

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