Old Saint Nick- Santa Claus himself- visited the City of Vernon, Florida on Saturday, December 15, 2018, on the Vernon Green just south of the Vernon Bridge, as seen in these photos by Real Florida Media, a subsidiary of The Goulding Agency in Chipley, Florida.
The event took place from 10AM until Noon, and almost a hundred people came out for the occasion, with face painting, refreshments and coloring games featured for the kids.
The City of Vernon cancelled the annual Christmas Parade due to the impact of Hurricane Michael, but as Vernon Mayor Tina Sloan said, ‘We felt that we as a City had to do something to express our appreciation for our citizens, who have experienced so much hardship due to the storm damage, and who have been very patient with the City as we slowly recover from the impact to our infrastructure’.
Sponsors for the event included Jeanie and Alana Shipes, who contributed and assembled the gift bags given to all who sat on Santa’s knee; Joeann Bouton from PCB Turnaround Cleaning, Tray Hawkins, who sponsored Santa’s travel expenses; the Cypress Springs Band, who donated the Face Painting by Jennifer Anderson; Vernon Recreation Department and Vernon Volunteer Fire.
The event was free, open to the public, and a free photo session with Santa was offered, with many attendees bringing their own cameras for the event.
See the entire gallery of photos from the event on Facebook at Real Florida Magazine.
