By Rob Sample
On and off rain limited the crowds but didn’t chill the festive mood at the annual Milton holiday tree lighting, which took place on Sunday afternoon, December 3.
With a section of Main Street cordoned off for the festivities, visitors got a visit from Santa (aboard the Milton fire company engine) and enjoyed refreshments and music. Several vendors were on hand, and the town Recreation Department had an ornament-building booth for kids.
A “snow” machine sent suds and bubbles into the air, adding to the cheer. Indoors, the Sarah Hull Hallock Library hosted activities for kids and raffled off an assortment of gift baskets as a fundraiser. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts also staffed booths, as did the Marlboro Dukes youth football and cheerleading organizations.
“The crowd wasn’t as big as what we usually see, but plenty of people came anyway and had a good time,” noted Vivian Lanzarone, owner of Main Street’s Vivian’s Photography and one of the event’s organizers.
Charlie Gent, owner of Rook Karate and Fitness on Route 9W in Marlboro, had a booth at the event for the very first time. He opened his business six months ago and now has 20 students.
“We had plenty of families stop by our booth and pick up schedules for our classes,” said Gent, who was at the booth with his mom, Jennie. The 30-year-old Marlboro native has taught martial arts for the past 10 years. Among his accomplishments, Gent coached the winning team in the 2019 Bare-Knuckle Karate world championship.
Visitors were encouraged to bring outdoor-friendly ornaments to hang, and little Elina Stekas was there for the first time. She broke out into smiles as her mom, Anthoula Stekas, helped her hang a shiny metal placard with “Noel” in bright red letters.