December 6, 2002 - Warm Beach 5
Note on 4/6/03: I lost the pictures for this page because of a mistake I made. Sorry. The same is true for all the pages from 9/2/02 through 10/5/02, and again from 11/15/02 through all of 12/28/02. If I'm able to retrieve them, I'll replace them eventually. Again, I'm very sorry.
Well, last night was the first night for Lights Of Christmas. And what a night it was! We were able to start at a more comfortable pace than any year before, according to those who have been here before. Of course, since it's the first time for Barb and me, it was all new. Barb spent the evening cleaning tables after people had their snacks in "Tinhorn Town" and enjoyed live cowboy music in the meantime. I was a "runner" which meant that the first thing I did was repair some chairs used on stage by the dinner theater. And speaking of dinner theater, it was great! Not only was the prime rib and salmon beyond reproach (and that's not comparing it with camp food, but comparing it to fine restaurant food!), but the acting was superb and the play was a real fun murder mystery. Good time had by all. Anyway, after repairing the chairs, I ran around with Ray who is responsible for getting the music all set in all the venues around the place. Some 9 different places that I can remember. Then I was called to help as a greeter/traffic control person until the regular volunteer showed up. Chilly, but fun to meet people coming from the parking lot, showing them the way to the ticket booth or the fire ring, or the Hospitality Suite where they could warm themselves in a building with comfy seats, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and cider. Then it was off to tag Jim around to see what an experienced runner did. We checked people into their overnight lodging making sure the lights were on, the door unlocked, the keys available, their parking appropriate for where they were staying, etc. Then it was off to let the driver of the "train" know that we'd be relieving him for his dinner break, only to learn he'd already eaten and didn't need a break. We checked out some of the other places, like the petting tent full of sheep, goats, a llama, a miniature Brahma steer (first I'd ever seen!), and other "animals of the nativity." I think there was some artistic license in the title, as I don't recall llamas and alpacas mentioned in the biblical story of Jesus' birth, but the kids were having a good time anyway. Particularly this one little guy who was enthralled by the brown bunny who sat still and allowed all the fur ruffling the little kid could administer. Then we relieved a couple of the guys doing the parking so they could take their dinner break, and at closing (10 PM) we set up risers in the main auditorium for the choirs that will be performing tonight. Tonight Barb will be one of Santa's helpers and then spend the rest of the evening in the staff dining room making sure everybody gets fed enough. I'll be Santa for the first time in my life, and am only a little nervous about it. I watched the fellow last night, but couldn't hear much of what was said between him and the little and not-so-little kids. Tonight we'll have the camera with us, so will be able to post some pictures tomorrow. Maybe. Being a SOWER means we're flexible and will go wherever and do whatever is needed within our physical limitations.
December 7, 2002
We survived the second night of LOC (Lights Of Christmas) with grins. Barb was Santa's helper to start and worked in the staff dining room the rest of the night, helping the staff get fed.
And I got to hold pretty women on my lap! This is Jeannie, who is in charge of the whole LOC business. To meet her, you'd never guess her tremendous organizational and leadership abilities. She's cheerful, has a great sense of humor, and seems to not have a care in the world. Great to work for/with. And then one of many scenes of the lights we'll be posting here.
Well, some people are happier to see Santa than others! The reactions to the guy with the fuzzy face in the funny costume were as varied as you can imagine. The lil' old lady crying was joking of course--great fun! The requests ran from wanting a friend to able to find a job to the inevitable puppy.
Burke and Sally, our Group Leaders for SOWERS working as cashiers in the Doo Wop Diner, and a shot of the pond, with its swans "floating" and the ducks landing. Behind it is a large maple tree, made to look like a giant mushroom.
One of several manger scenes. The fun kid show in the Doo Wop Diner. All the shows are included in the price of admission and, of course, the price of admission and other information is available on www.warmbeach.com
Santa got to kiss at least one pretty girl, and there's our Group Leaders again, Burke and Sally. I really did enjoy playing Santa. I was pretty nervous about it at first, but settled into the role with some encouragement from the staff.
The stage for Santa was well decorated, and building it was one of the projects I was involved with in November. And there's Jody, who is Jeannie's very able assistant. You can see the radio in her hand and one clipped to her lapel. There are at least 3 different frequencies being used on the FM radios they use, and Jeannie, Jody, and a couple others have to monitor all of them. You can tell by the time here that my shift is about over. I think Jody came by to make sure I'd survived.
This upside down Christmas tree, with Santa (back side) coming down (or is he going up?). The rope was a good eye-catcher for the little ones sitting on Santa's lap, so parents could get a good shot of their faces. Most would either stare at me or wouldn't look at me at all.