BC Lights Up Christmas

By Dan Guarino

Celebrating the season with music, games, performances, and more, several hundred children and kids at heart gathered under clear but cool skies on Sunday, December 8, at the Broad Channel Athletic Club (BCAC) Memorial Field for Broad Channel’s annual Christmas tree lighting.

The afternoon started at 3 p.m. with outdoor games like ring toss and bean bag throwing, craft and coloring activities, and writing letters to Santa, to be deposited in a specially red-painted mailbox to make sure he received them directly. Children swarmed over the BCAC playground and field, while parents and kids lined up for hot cocoa, popcorn and pretzels. All were provided free through generous donations from New York Families for Autistic Children and the Channel’s All-American Deli, and given out with good cheer by BCAC snack stand volunteers.

Christmas tunes played overhead, mixing together the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Andy Williams and Alvin and the Chipmunks in a continuous musical stream. Tables were lined with BCAC sweatshirts and other items for sale, 50/50 raffles were sold and non-perishable items collected for the St. Virgilius-St. Camillus food pantries. The Broad Channel Civic Association also held a raffle to cover costs of the holiday trees placed along Cross Bay Boulevard’s median. Next-door Lisena Landscaping and Gardening Center, which provided the inflatable decorations, lights and the tree for the celebration, and did the median plantings, donated 10% from all trees sold that day to the BCAC.

Highlighting the festivities were the performances beginning around 4 p.m. under the BCAC’s covered pavilion. Camera phones were in abundance as adults stood and kids sat along its concrete edge. Many children were dressed in bright holiday outfits, Christmas clothes, festive hats and Santa bows and caps, while they and adults also sported headbands with blinking Christmas trees, reindeer antlers, snowmen and more.

Some two dozen City Elite Cheer members, decked in distinctive blue and black, silver-highlighted uniforms and with white and blue pom-poms, energetically lead things off with a series of routines set to “Walking In A Winter Wonderland” and other Christmas tunes. Coming from Howard Beach, City Elite Cheer was established earlier this year.

Following up was Broad Channel Girl Scouts Troop 04434. Dressed in their distinctive uniforms and vests and other holiday garb, the 20-plus troop members started off with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law. They then sang a song dedicated to 1912 Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low, and finished with rousing renditions of “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”

Next students of the Fazio Dance Center, Howard Beach, brought high kicks and precision dance movements to the stage. In glittering gold and black outfits, they danced to “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “We Need A Little Christmas,” before all having to dash away to yet another tree lighting event.

All the performers were greeted by cheers and applause from the audience.

As the sky grew dark, the lights went on under the pavilion and decorations began to glow, the red robed New Life Choir, with members from Rockaway and Broad Channel, stepped up to perform. Accompanied by guitar and harmonizing together, they sang “Silent Night” and “Mary, Did You Know.” On their spirited last number, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” several children, as well as a man and his granddaughter, spontaneously got up to dance, whirl and join in.

Said the Choir’s Margaret Howard. “Who knew we’d be a hit with the 6-year-olds!!” The choir also has a holiday-themed CD available for free download at www.newlifechoir.org.

Shortly afterward the blaring sirens of a Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department engine announced the arrival of Santa Claus. The entire excited crowd rushed forward, with many kids chanting “Santa, Santa!” as the Man in Red stepped off and made his way to the BCAC clubhouse. On its second-floor deck he was joined around the Christmas tree by BCAC President Joe Traegler, who thanked all who came and all who made the event a success, Councilwoman Joann Ariola, BC Civic Association President Dan Mundy Jr. and Reverend James Rodriguez, pastor of St. Rose of Lima and now administrator of St. Camillus-St. Virgilius.

Boisterously joining in a countdown, the large crowd cheered when the switch was thrown and the tree was lit. Afterward children and families lined up for a special visit and pictures with Mr. Claus.

One young man, Kevin, said, “Hi, Santa. I’m a big fan of yours!”

“Sean,” one mother asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” “I want to be Santa!” he replied.  A holiday dressed toddler quickly ran to Santa Claus and also blew him kisses on the way out. Each child also received a candy cane.

After Santa boarded the BCVFD engine and departed, BCAC volunteer Jessica Guttieri would later note regarding the event, “It takes a village, and I’m so happy with mine!”

As all who came left in good spirits, the new Broad Channel Christmas tree glowed tall against the night sky, making the season even brighter.

Photos by Ryan Farrell, Ivy Farrell, and Dan Guarino