Greenfield is gearing up for our big holiday weekend on Dec. 6, when the fifth annual Fire and Ice parade will light up the town.
Former Greenfield Fire Chief Dave Hall founded the Fire and Ice Parade during the COVID pandemic as a way to bring the town together after months of limited social activity. The first parade and all-outdoor celebration was a success, with hundreds of residents gathering at Oak Park to see Santa, celebrate the season, and reconnect with neighbors and friends.
Each year, neighboring towns send fire trucks and equipment to the parade, and residents create floats. This year’s theme is “The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke-Moore, with the famous opening lines: ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house; Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”
There will be no Greenfield Festival of Trees this year, as Stephenson Library is having its floors replaced that week, but the Friends of Stephenson Library will host their annual Children’s Holiday Store downstairs in the Wensberg Room from 4 to 6 p.m. during Fire and Ice. Everything is $1.00, and the Friends will be wrapping gifts and providing hot cocoa.
The Fire and Ice parade culminates at Oak Park, where the Oak Park Committee will be selling hot food, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in the pavilion for photos, and the Greenfield Elementary School PTO, with help from the Friends of the Meetinghouse, will have a bake sale and cookie walk to benefit the school.
The Friends of the Greenfield Meetinghouse will be selling 3-D printed Meetinghouse holiday ornaments by artist Bruce Dodge at Oak Park. All proceeds benefit the Meetinghouse Building Fund.
The Friends will also be selling raffle tickets for a hydraulic wood splitter reconditioned by Chuck Setaro. Chuck got this wood splitter, which was originally $3500, working again and cut up a few cords of wood with it to test it out. Ticket sales will continue until $1,000 is raised for the Meetinghouse. Raffle tickets are also available at greenfieldmeetinghouse.org or by emailing greenfieldmeeetinghouse@gmail.com to pay by cash or check.
The Greenfield Historical Society will be open for holiday shopping, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, with many items available for sale, including the town’s histories, as well as suncatchers, local honey and collectibles. The Society’s collection of historic Advent calendars will be on display.
Town welfare officer Leah Conway is organizing Project Care for Greenfield families who need holiday assistance.
Project Care posters and collection boxes will be at the post office, the Greenfield Covenant Church, Harvester Market, and the fire department. Items also can be dropped off at the Town Offices on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. or by making arrangements with Leah, who can be reached on Facebook or though the Town Hall. As of Nov. 19, 16 families have reached out for help.
Leah is also collecting for Christmas Care Boxes. Items requested by families include diapers, wipes, and pull-ups, toilet paper and facial tissue, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap and body wash, and laundry and dish detergent. Items can be left in the box at the post office.
With renovations still underway, the Meetinghouse will not be hosting any Fire and Ice events, but the Friends are planning a community gathering to celebrate the completion of phase one of the renovations, hopefully in January.