The Merry Minstrels sang Christmas carols as they strolled through town on Sunday afternoon.
The name has changed, but the event is starting to feel like a tradition. The Winter Extravaganza became “Celebrate the Season” this year.
The turnout was good on Dec. 6, and so was the weather, which flaunted a 20-degree improvement over the previous year. Main Street was closed from 3 to 5 p.m. to accommodate the horse and carriage ride that carried about a thousand passengers.
Along the sidewalk, there were some new attractions. The Merry Minstrels roamed the street, stopping in front of stores, and inviting spectators to sing along.
The Knights of Columbus brought a picture board with cutouts for faces. Using their phones as cameras, people got snapshots of family members appearing as elves, Christmas trees or Santa Claus.
Prima Pizza introduced a snow-making machine next to an evergreen surrounded by presents. Kids huddled next to the tree and let the falling flakes land in their hair.
“This is like a ‘Wonderful Life,’” owner A.J. Scalise observed. “You could call it ‘a wonderful Cornwall.’” Joan Cusack-McGuirk echoed that sentiment before lighting the Christmas tree at Chadeayne Circle. “This could only happen in little town, America,” she said, “only in a place like Cornwall.”
Refreshments were served in volume. Several businesses offered free food and beverages. People who stopped at Butterhill Day School consumed three gallons of cider. Randy Clark eventually ran out of chocolate for S’mores. He kept a fire burning between his building and Hazard’s Pharmacy, and visitors of all ages stood around the flames and toasted marshmallows.
At Fresh Cuts Barber Shop, Angel Delacruz showed he could do more than cut hair. He made meatball sandwiches that were as popular as the sausage and peppers he served a year ago,
The Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce organized the event, which concluded with the tree lighting at Chadeayne Circle. One observer commented that the friendly atmosphere was a welcome change from the violence that has erupted around the world.
TREE LIGHTING
“What nationality is Santa Claus?” Steve Kessler wanted to know. He was at Chadeayne Circle with his middle school band. And in between holiday favorites, he was asking riddles.
When no one responded to the question, Mr. Kessler volunteered the answer. “North Polish,” he announced, as some people laughed and others groaned.
The band was warming up the audience for the Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 6. After the kids’ last selection, Rich Massimi welcomed the crowd, on behalf of the Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, and introduced the couple who would light the tree.
The honor went to Joan Cusack-McGuirk, the acting CEO of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, and her husband, John McGuirk, a retired Orange County Supreme Court Judge.
This year’s tree has new lights and more of them than in the past. Once the switch was thrown, some people walked to the circle to take pictures in front of the gingerbread house. Others went inside to get the refreshments provided by the Highland Engine Company. Still others remained in place and waited for the arrival of Santa Claus.
Before embarking on her tree-lighting assignment, Mrs. Cusack-McGuirk had some tongue-in-cheek advice for Steve Kessler, who asked about a dozen riddles. “Don’t give up your day job,” the hospital CEO suggested.