Children travel on Butler's 'Polar Express'
Imagination powered a “Polar Express” adventure Sunday afternoon in Butler Memorial Park.
The GFWC Junior Women's Club of Butler hosted the movie-themed event that received registrations from 500 people. Volunteers from the organization led participants to a number of stops, all in the theme of the popular Christmas movie of the same name.
Groups of parents and children started at the first of multiple stations, not far from the park entrance. The children were all given a golden ticket and told to hold it tightly.
“Close your eyes and use your imagination to believe it's Christmas Eve,” said a couple of elves at the first stop.
At the second stop, a conductor and another elf showed the children how to march using their arms and legs like a train. Toddlers stomped along and parents of stroller-bound little ones played along too.
Choo-chooing along the way, the group moved to a third station, where more elves led them in some Christmas carols, before reaching the highly anticipated workshop of the man in red.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus greeted the children, and they handed out the first gift of Christmas to one lucky little one. The gift was a special bell. If you heard it ring, you were a true believer in Santa Claus.Before reaching a hot cocoa station, the rest of the children got their own bells to share in the cheer.Christian Snow, of Butler, asked his son, Greyson, 5, about his favorite part of the trip. Greyson smirked with a cocoa mustache.“The hot chocolate,” he said.Snow said he and Greyson have been trying to stop at all sorts of Christmas events throughout the month, and he was glad to find a free event minutes from home.“I like that it was tied to the movie,” he said. “They did a really nice job.”Dana Summerville, art chairwoman of the Butler club, commended the volunteers for a hefty amount of setup work and their performances, while also complimenting Butler Memorial Park as the venue.Summerville said she was happy to hear the event had maxed out its registrations this year, and she hopes the event will expand, if it becomes an annual one.“It's a learning process,” she said.Summerville said she enjoyed being part of the event, especially seeing the reactions on the children's faces.“It's 'awesomesauce,'” she said. “That's why we do it. When you see that joy, that's all you need.”Caroline Kyne, president of the organization, said she was happy to bring another Christmas event to Butler.The organization accepted donations at the registration table. Kyne said fundraising wasn't associated with the event at first, but as people registered, they asked about donating.She said though the donations weren't expected, they were appreciated. The club uses funds to help put on events like the “Polar Express” for free and also uses funds for various grant opportunities it offers.“We're a group of women in Butler who want to give back to the community,” Kyne said. “This one is all about Christmas spirit.”
