Beverly Fire Department to escort Santa
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BEVERLY -- Santa Claus will be coming to town Thursday evening when the Beverly Volunteer Fire Department escorts 'Ol Saint Nick and Mrs. Claus around the Beverly area of Randolph County.
For a third consecutive year, the BVFD will load up a host of Christmas characters into fire trucks and take them to visit children in the county. Two seperate trucks will be used for the journey, which will begin at 6 p.m. at the fire station.
"We are doing the same route that we did as last year, but Mrs. Claus has been added to both trucks this time around," said Beverly Volunteer Fireman Zach Moyer. "We will be giving candy to all the children who come out and visit Santa."
Moyer said Santa Claus will climb off the trucks and greet all the children on the route. Those visiting can take a photo with Kris Kringle and tell him what they would like to receive on Christmas.
"The joy you see in the kids when we pull up with Santa in the fire trucks is unbeatable," said Moyer. "Words can't explain how excited the kids and the elderly people are when we come to visit them."
Truck No. 1 will first stop at Lavender Fields Assisted Living before heading to the Beverly Mobile Home Park. From there, the fire truck will make its way to Burgess Mobile Home Park and then head up Scott's Lake Road. It will then go down Files Creek Road and over to the Beverly Manor.
Truck No. 2 will visit Canterbury Place first, head to Kings Run and over to Dodson Run. The truck will then hit Georgetown Road and Beaver Creek before going down the Back Road in Dailey.
"We will blow the sirens when we are close to houses and trailer parks in the areas we visit," said Moyer. "That helps let the parents know that we are arriving with Santa Claus."
Joining Santa on the route last year was the Grinch, several elves, reindeer, snowmen, a gingerbread man, and Cousin Eddie from the movie "Christmas Vacation."
"We are planning to have all of the same characters that we did last year," said Moyer. "We have been getting more and more people each day asking if they could help, so we may be able to add a few more different ones for this year's event."
Moyer said the reception from families in the community has been overwhelming and that the department plans on continuing the tour with Santa for years to come.
"We have been doing this for the last three years and it's a tradition we want to keep doing every year," said Moyer. "Beverly used to do it every year when I was a little kid, probably when I was about five or six years-old, and I'm 38 now. They stopped doing it and didn't have it for the longest time. Three years ago I decided to bring it back and we are going to keep it going for the kids."
Moyer added that the BVFD also holds a similar event during the Easter holiday when it takes the Easter Bunny around on a fire truck. For more information contact the BVFD at 304-636-5032 or visit the department's Facebook page.