BOYLE - There were smiles and fun times at the first annual Boyle Santa’s Carnival held Nov. 30 at the Boyle and District Community Centre.
The event was hosted by Boyle Santas Anonymous, and it included some games such as mini golf, bowling, fishing, as well as throwing a ball into a cup. There was also some face painting, a photo booth, as well as some hot dogs and popcorn served at the event.
Boyle Santas Anonymous president Denise Lang-Wells said the biggest part of the event was a visit from Jolly Old St. Nicholas himself.
“Children got to sit on Santa’s knee, and we also took pictures of them with Santa for $10 a photo, with all the proceeds going to the Boyle Santas Anonymous,” Lang-Wells said. “Tickets to participate in each of the games were $2 for 10 tickets, and hot dogs were by donation. Again, all the proceeds went to Boyle Santas Anonymous, and we made a total of $661.70 for the cause. Overall, I would say it was a huge success.”
She added that she was happy to see the event exceed everyone’s expectations.
“None of this would have been possible without all of our volunteers,” Lang-Wells continued. “Employees from the North Corridor Co-op Gas Bar ran the games along with volunteers from the Boyle Santas Anonymous, and all the food was donated by Buy-Low Foods.”
She also added a special thank-you to Ardent Construction for building the games, props, the photo booth as well as all the signage for the event.
“(Rick Wells), who runs Ardent Construction, donated all of his time and material to build all of this,” Lang-Wells said.
“The children were out there having fun, and everything worked with very few glitches. What more could you ask for?” Rick Wells added.
Village of Boyle Coun. Shelby Kiteley brought her three children to the event.
“It was a fun time for everyone who attended,” she said. “The new Santas Anonymous board has done a really great job this year, and I hope to see it continue in subsequent years.”
Her eight-year-old daughter, Haedyn Kiteley, said she was excited to see Santa.
“It’s not about what he gives me for Christmas, just as long as it’s girly,” she explained. “If he gives me something like a football or a basketball, I’ll just give it to my little brother.”
Huyana Turner, one of the volunteers, said she was pleased to see so many people having a great time.
“I ran the bowling and the mini golf, and we had lots of kids winning prizes,” Turner said. “We even had some kids come here more than once.”
Jennifer Shin first heard about the event through a text from a friend and brought her two-year-old son Ryan to take part in the activities.
“I really enjoyed watching my son have fun at the event and have his picture with Santa,” Shin said. “It was great to see him try out all the events.”
Lang-Wells said there is already plans to continue putting on this event every year.
“Every year, it’s going to be a little bit bigger and brighter,” she said. “Next year, we may even have to expand into the basement of the Community Centre.”
