Tag Archives: candy cane hunt

City of Wyoming hosts annual Candy Cane Hunt Dec. 8

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Candy Cane Hunt

WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

 

Linus had his “Great Pumpkin” patch, the City of Wyoming has the Great Candy Cane Hunt, which is set for Dec. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop SW.

 

Children ages 3-14 are invited to hunt for the many hidden candy canes outside. Then everyone will head indoors for games, a craft project, and lunch with the man of the season, Santa. Children will have to the opportunity to meet with Santa and give them their holiday wish list. 

 

Pre-registration is required for the event. It is $5 for residents, $7 for non-residents, and $2 parents and others. 

 

To register click, here. For questions call 616-530-3164 or email parks_info@wyoming.gov.

Wyoming, Kentwood host a variety of community holiday celebrations

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Sleigh bells are ringing, can you hear them? Well, you certainly will in the next couple off weeks as both the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood host several popular holiday events.

 

Santa Parade

 

Kicking things off will be the annual Santa Parade hosted by the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce. The parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 2, with step off at 10 a.m. The parade runs down S. Division Avenue starting at the 34th Street Mall Parking Lot (formerly Hope Network) to Murray Street (Chase bank).

 

After the parade, Santa will be available for photos at the Brann’s Sizzlin’ Steaks & Sports Grill, 4132 S. Divison Ave. to meet with families and for photos, so make sure to bring a camera, said Chamber President Bob O’Callaghan.

 

For more information about the parade, visit www.southket.org.

 

Wyoming Gives Back

 

For the seventh year, the City of Wyoming will come together to host the annual community event Wyoming Gives Back. The event is Thursday, Dec. 7, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Rogers Plaza Mall, 972 28th St. SW.

 

Participants are encouraged to donate a new, unwrapped toy to the Salvation Army Tree. Last year, more than 400 toys were collected. Each attendee who bring a new, unwrapped toy as a donation will receive a raffle ticket in exchange for a chance to win prizes donated by Wyoming businesses. Last year, the city raffled off nearly $5,000 in prizes.

 

There will be hot chocolate, music by local choirs and bands, and of course, a visit from Santa.

 

For more information on the event, visit www.wyomingmi.gov or call 616-530-7272.

 

Kentwood Tree Lighting Ceremony

 

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the City of Kentwood will host its annual community tree lighting ceremony Friday, Dec. 8. The evening starts with a holiday light parade at 6 p.m. along Breton Avenue followed by caroling and lighting of the tree at 6:30 p.m. lead by Mayor Stephen Kepley. From 6 – 8 p.m., the Elves Express Gift Shop will be inside the KDL Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SW. There will also be hay rides, hot chocolate, cookies, live music, caroling, and of course a visit from Santa.

 

The entire event has free admission. For more information, visit kentwood50.com.

 

Wyoming’s Great Candy Cane Hunt

 

The City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department will host the Great Candy Cane Hunt, Saturday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The event begins outdoors in the front of the Wyoming Police Department, 2300 DeHoop Ave. SW, where Santa Claus will lead kids on a scavenger hunt for the many hidden candy canes outside. Activities will then move indoors to the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW, for lunch, games and crafts.

 

The event is for children 3- 14 years-old. The cost to participate is $4 resident, $6 non-resident. Additional family members who are 15 or older may attend and have lunch for $2. Pre-registation is required. To register, call 616-530-3164 or www.wyomingmi.gov/PRRegistration.

Kentwood Tree Lighting Ceremony is Fun, Festive and Free!

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Kentwood Christmas Tree Lighting

By Victoria Mullen

A lot of hard work goes into planning and executing a tree lighting ceremony.

We won’t go into specifics now (we will share some fun historical facts later), but do not miss the Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Kentwood Public Library, 4950 Breton Rd. SE, on Wednesday, December 2 from 6-8 pm.

Please take note… this is a new location from years past.

Kentwood imageFree for the whole family, the fun begins at 6 pm with a Candy Cane Hunt. Also beginning at 6 pm are Carriage Rides and Hay Rides, new this year. Enjoy light refreshments from 6-6:45, and then be sure to stick around for the main event at 6:45, the Tree Lighting Ceremony. It will put you in a festive mood, assuming you’re not already there mentally. And if you are, be prepared to get even more amped up, thanks to the music performed by the EKHS Jazz Band.

If you want photos with Santa–he’s a good sport, so be kind–bring your own camera. Even more fun awaits: From 4-8 pm, kids and adults are welcome to buy presents at the Elves Express Gift Shop Santawhere all gifts—suitable for all ages—are just $2 each.

Tree lighting ceremonies often go unappreciated, and that’s a shame. The custom harks back to 18th-century Germany when candles were used to decorate family Christmas trees in upper-class homes. I’ve often wondered how they got the candles to stay put without burning down the house. And then I found out: Those old-timey, creative geniuses glued the candles to a tree branch with melted wax or used pins to attach the candles. Still a hazardous proposition, in my opinion. It wasn’t until around 1890 that candle holders came into use and later, between 1902 and 1914, cute little lanterns and glass balls held the candles in place.

Christmas lights, holiday lights, twinkle lights, midget bulbs, Italian lights, mini lights (and in the UK, fairy lights)–a light by any other name still illuminates. Early electric Christmas lights came on the scene in the 1880s, no doubt preventing countless holiday fires caused by candles.

Kentwood Tree Lighting GraphicThere is a dark side to holiday lights, alas, and it has to do with recycling. Amazingly, more than 20 million pounds of discarded holiday lights are shipped to the Christmas light recycling capital of the world, aka Shijiao, China. This unfortunate custom began around 1990 because of–you guessed it–cheap labor and dismal environmental standards. Details here.

We certainly don’t intend this as a downer, but it’s important to not take our holiday light consumption, er, lightly. Suffice it to say that safer techniques are now used to separate out the elements, and everything is recycled: Glass, copper, plastic and brass. Plus, each year, new-fangled, energy-efficient and even longer-lasting lights come on the scene. Perhaps there will come a day when very few need to be recycled.

It’s a pleasant thought, right?