Whether it be local schools, businesses or organizations, Santa Claus has been keeping busy in Carter County.
Things didn’t change Friday as Saint Nicholas visited the Elizabethton Parks & Recreation Department for the second annual Story Time with Santa program offered to the community.
Kelly Kitchens, with Parks & Rec, helped spearhead the event and added during the early morning hours that round two built upon last year’s success with a larger turnout.
During the inaugural event, an estimated 200 children took part in festivities, according to Kitchens.
But this year’s brought more to the table, with Santa Claus reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to multiple children and even singing some cheerful melodies before making himself available for the county youth to ask what they want for Christmas.
Prior to the man of the hour stopping by, a variety of activities with available inside the department’s gymnasium. Along with inflatables, children were able to play inside the gym with different toys.
In conjunction with the fun, Bojangles assisted with the event by providing snacks to attendees.
As the event winded down, Parks & Rec Director Mike Mains the day couldn’t have gone any better and the department is already planning ahead for next year.
“I think we may have even doubled our participates compared to last year’s event,” Mains said. “There was a lot of hard work put into this. We want to thank Bojangles for all the work they put in and all the other different organizations that come together to make this happen.”
For more information on upcoming events by the department, call (423) 547-6441.