City Park Department shifts into holiday mode
Creating Christmas cards, decorating holiday ornaments, getting phone calls from Santa and even breakfasting with The Grinch are all part of the holiday fun that awaits Greencastle area youngsters this month.
The Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring no fewer than seven holiday-related programs in the next three weeks, the Park Board was advised Thursday night.
Perhaps the highlight will be the debut of Breakfast with The Grinch, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19 at the Putnam County Public Library. Cost of the 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. event is $5 per person.
The Grinch will join youngsters for breakfast --- OK, brunch -- as the children will listen to the classic Dr. Seuss story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and then dine on green eggs and ham.
"We're really hoping to get this program off the ground," Park Director Rod Weinschenk told the board after his assistant, Phil Cornelius, noted that he has based the concept on a similar program that's been successful in Hendricks County to the tune of 80 reservations.
Reservation deadline for The Grinch's inaugural Greencastle visit is Wednesday, Dec. 16. Registration forms will be available at City Hall, the library or Greencastle Pediatric Dentistry.
For more information, persons may call 653-3395 or email pcornelius@cityofgreencastle.com.
Meanwhile, the Park Department has also scheduled such holiday-themed ventures as:
-- Christmas Card Day Workshop, a free program set for Wednesday, Dec. 9 from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Kiwanis Room at the library. The park's craft closet will be cleaned out to help with the creativity of Christmas card-making.
-- Brickmania Lego Christmas, set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 at City Hall. The program will include a special Lego Christmas-themed project, along with an opportunity to free-build with the department's collection of building blocks. Cost is $10 per person with a registration deadline of 4 p.m. Dec. 8.
-- Phone Calls from Santa, a popular free program scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 12. Santa will call youngsters age 2-7 whose parents have registered them for the event by 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11.
-- 'Tis the Season to Decorate Ornaments, a project set for 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 at the library. Cost is $2 per ornament with a 4 p.m. Dec. 9 registration deadline for the make-and-take program. Youngsters will get ceramic ornaments (angels, bears, presents and reindeer) that need a little something festive like glitter, ribbon or paint added to them.
-- Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, set for 5-7 p.m. Dec. 16 at the library. The group will be turning sweaters into ugly holiday versions.
-- Santa's Science Lab, scheduled for 3-5 p.m. Dec. 22 at the library with some wintertime experiments in mind.
As always, for more information on any of the above programs, persons may call 653-3395 or email pcornelius@cityofgreencastle.