‘Christmas Wonderland’ Comes To Bristol This Weekend

As a kid growing up in New York City, one of the high lights of every holiday season was venturing out on to the Interborough Rapid Transit line (IRT)  and heading off to Rockefeller Center for the Christmas Tree Lighting in Manhattan. Hundreds of thousands made the same pilgrimage every year.

In historic Bristol Borough, the vision to create a large Christmas event that draws visitors from throughout the area will become reality Friday evening with the tree  lighting ceremony followed by the Christmas Parade on Saturday.

“This year the event is bigger,” said Bristol Economic Advisory Committee Chairman Bill Pezza. He called the event a mini version of Rockefeller Center, without the 90 minute trek to the city.

“It’s our local version of Rockefeller Center,” Pezza said Tuesday afternoon, while he ordered lunch at the Bristol Stop – which will be offering free hot chocolate to kids and “hot soup shots” to the throngs  expected to attend the festivities in the heart of the merchant district on Mill Street.

Pezza, as head of the economic advisory committee and the Raising the Bar group, has lead the charge to help recreate Bristol as a thriving base for economic development and a stop for those traveling through the area.

The effort has brought change in terms of sense hope from within the borough with more then intangible outcomes the last year or so.

This year’s “extravaganza” offers a completely local feel for the holiday season. Pezza said a free tractor pulled “train,” rides for the children leaving from the Bristol Wharf “station,”  carolers, an ice skating demonstration,  a DJ, a Raising the Bar decorated storefront in the “Griswald” tradition, an outdoor model train display, hot chocolate, snacks, a glow stick trail and much more.  The 100 block of Mill Street will be closed to traffic and converted into a virtual Christmas wonderland.

Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday with the children’s train rides, music and tours along with other displays. The tree lighting and Santa’s arrival will take place at  7:00, followed by visits to Santa at the Gazebo.  The event is free and open to all.

Over the last two weeks, preparations for the holiday event have been ongoing with the delivery of the approximately 38-foot Christmas tree at the base of Mill and Radcliffe streets. A few days after borough public works employees dressed up the business soul of the town in its Christmas best.

“This is a free activity the council provides for the public as a way of saying thank you for their support throughout the year. The borough crew does an outstanding job of securing, transporting and mounting the tree. This year’s ceremony promises to be the best ever. We’re grateful to Jim and Cindy Dransfield from Newtown, who donated the beautiful tree, Jim’s Tree Service and JMW equipment, who removed and transported the tree to the Bristol Borough, “ said Ralph DiGuiseppi, borough council president.

“There are so many wonderful family activities, but the highlight, of course, is the tree lighting and the arrival of Santa Clause,” said Joanne Schneyder, co-chairperson of the event. “Our riverfront gazebo, used for concerts in the summer, has been converted into a beautiful space for children to visit Santa.”

Pezza, just before leaving the Bristol Stop, made sure to point the one more important element and theme about festivities Friday and Saturday.

“For one night each year, this is our Rockefeller Center. Last year, more than 2,000 people attended. We expect much more this year as word spreads. It’s a free, wholesome, old-fashioned Christmas, and it’s fun. With four wonderful restaurants within a block of the festivities, we invite our neighbors to join us for a very good time,” he said.

About 40 volunteers, Pezza said, showed up at the Raising the Bar meeting on Tuesday night. When Pezza talked, you could see he was brimming with excitement and anticipation of seeing this vision for the historic borough come to fruition Friday night.

On Saturday, the annual Bristol Borough Christmas Parade will kick off at 1 p.m. on Farragut Avenue. The parade will continue down Pond Street and turn left on Mill Street. The parade will feature entertainment, first responders, local organizations and much more.

The borough is offering families and the community the chance to begin a new tradition, if they haven’t started already. This weekend is Bristol’s version of a winter wonderland, instead of you know … the big city.

Anyone wishing to help defray the cost of the added children’s activities may send a donation to Raising the Bar, PO Box 2126, Bristol, Pennsylvania 19007.