On December 7, 2019, the temperature was a mere 9 degrees above freezing when over 100 kids, and their parents swarmed the grounds of Tarrywile Mansion in search of those red and white striped treats that seem to appear every year around this time. After the second wave of intrepid hunters, there was not a single candy cane to be found, anywhere!
Ingersoll Auto of Danbury will be very pleased to find all the candy canes they generously donated made into a child’s hands.
Meghan Friedland, Editor/Publisher of Macaroni Kid, with her band of merry elves, who were undercover volunteers from the Bethel High School Junior ROTC assisted Santa, and Mrs. Claus in hosting a fun filled family event that also served as a fundraiser, dedicated to keeping Tarrywile Park a free resource for all Danbury residents.
Mr. and Mrs. Clause, along with their dedicated helpers had Tarrywile Mansion looking like you just stepped into the North Pole and Santa’s workshop. Santa’s helpers were eager to help all the little boys and girls create fun stick snowmen, wreath ornaments and custom made cards. I also saw a table where snowmen families were the recipient of brightly colored clothes, and lights. The crafts were inspired, and donated by the kind people at St. Gregory the Great School.
Brightly decorated cookies, along with my favorite, homemade chocolate chip, were served up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate to all the craft making girls and boys. Mothership on Main, Caraluzzi’s and Macaroni Kid donated the refreshments since this is Santa’s busiest time and he can use all the help he can get.
Santa loved spending time with the children listening to all their hopes and dreams, along with their sometimes lengthy wish lists. He had his library set up with a comfy couch,a brightly decorated tree, and colorful presents so parents could take pictures with Santa and their children, even selfies with Mom and Dad in the picture too!
If you have photos from the Candy Cane Hunt at Tarrywile Mansion we’d love to see them and share them with our park lovers so everyone can see how important Tarrywile Park & Mansion is to the Danbury community.
Meghan and Macaroni Kid were comissioned by Santa to find some businessmen and businesswomen with big hearts, who would be excited to help make this day extra special for thei kids. She found Byrd’s Books in Bethel wanted to contribute some of their favorite children’s books and more to the Smore’s and Stories prize basket. So if you want to see what else they recommend I’m sure they’d love it if you stopped by to say hi! Texas Roadhouse, Danbury showed what a big heart they have by not only donating a dinner for two gift basket but also fed lunch to the very hungry elves and helpers who were part of making this day extra special.
Meghan found a bunch of businessmen and businesswomen with big hearts in the local community. The Traveling Chic Boutique, a must visit in the Brookfield four corners section, donated a $50 gift certificate to the Travel in Style gift basket. The Danbury Railway Museum donated tickets to their Santa Express ride to four lucky winners. Ingersoll Auto of Danbury showed their big heart by encouraging car safety with a gift certificate for a Free Lube, Oil and Filter Change, Tire Rotation, and 27-Point Inspection. Santa knows that part of keeping children safe is to ensure the cars they travel in are taken care of.
Santa also appreciated when one of his Bethel workshops; The Toy Room put together a fun filled prize basket with all sorts of fun items, guaranteed to keep kids occupied for awhile! Visit their store to see all other cool things they have for kids of any age.
Words cannot express the amount of gratitude we have for everyone who volunteered their time, or donated goods or services to support this critical park fundraiser. You are not only making a difference in children’s lives that day but also helping to ensure Tarrywile Park remains accessible to future generations as well.
We’re trying to keep this on the “QT”, but we cannot forget the Santa’s, who go deep undercover, when it’s not the Christmas Season. We would like to thank Santa of the first wave; Peter Samardak, of the Bethel, Stony Hill Fire Department, Santa of the second wave; Joe Hemingway of Newtown. We would not be able to host such a fun filled event without your help.
As always, a special thank you to Meghan Friedland of Macaroni Kid for all the hard work, the many hours spent finding sponsors, volunteers, decorations, and organizing this amazing event which seems to get bigger every year. Santa knows what a big heart she has, and knows what’s on her wish list. Meghan has proven to be one of the hardest working, Tarrywile Park supporters that we have had the pleasure to work with. When all is said and done the 3rd Annual Candy Cane Hunt was able to donate $830 to Tarrywile Park & Mansion.
Stay tuned for details on the 4th Annual Candy Cane Fundraiser. Santa, Meghan and her cohorts have even more in store for next year!
I happened to overhear Santa talking with the Easter Bunny, giving the EB a few tips on how to make the Egg Hunt of 2020 an exciting time for all the girls and boys. One of his suggestions was to assist Meghan in finding big hearted businessmen and businesswomen who would be excited to bring another fun filled event to the children at Tarrywile Park & Mansion. It’s never too early to start planning for our next event, if you are interested or know of anyone who would love this opportunity, you can reach out to Meghan at meghanf@macaronikid.com
To see all the fun that was had this year visit Macaroni Kid-Danbury-Bethel-Ridgefield: 3rd Annual Candy Cane Hunt on Facebook
