Florenceville-Bristol kicks off its Christmas season on Thursday

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By Shawn Merrithew

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The holiday season continued to hit Northern Carleton County last week.

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PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Children gather around Santa Claus as he hands out candy canes to all.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Little Miss Florenceville-Bristol Fall Pageant's queen Rebecca Eggert dances arm-in-arm with a friend during the tree-lighting ceremonies.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Contestants from the Little Miss Florenceville-Bristol Fall Pageant entertain the audience by singing some Christmas favourites.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Children gather around musician Jim Lawrence as he plays the world's smallest harmonica.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Children dance up a storm in the park's gazebo to some holiday music as they await for the arrival of Santa Claus.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Jolly St. Nick arrives at Riverside Park in Florenceville-Bristol, with a little help of the fire department, for the community's tree-lighting ceremony on Thursday night.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Florenceville-Bristol Mayor Darrell Giggie and Little Miss Florenceville-Bristol Fall Pageant's queen Rebecca Eggert turn on the Christmas tree lights, signifying the start of the Christmas season for the northern Carleton County community.

On Thursday evening, New Brunswick's newest town kicked off its official launch to Christmas with a tree-lighting ceremony at the Riverside Park in Florenceville-Bristol.

More than 150 residents joined town officials in the unusually mild weather to take in the event.

The park's gazebo was decked out for the holidays with brilliant lights and numerous Christmas displays, including giant candy canes lining the main walkway. Children gathered inside the gazebo, while parents gathered around outside as Mayor Darrell Giggie, the master of ceremonies for the evening, welcomed everyone to a fun-filled evening.

Pastor Mark Thompson of Trinity Wesleyan Church blessed the evening, while Mayor Giggie called upon the Little Miss Florenceville-Bristol Fall queen Rebecca Eggert to officially launch the evening by plugging in the tree lights.

A round of applause erupted from the audience as the tree behind Eggert lit up in vibrant colours.

The crowd was treated to apple cider and short-bread cookies and contestants from the Little Miss Florenceville-Bristol Fall Pageant took to the outdoor stage to perform some classic holiday tunes. Many of the adults joined in the singing, their voices intertwining with the young women's and rising into the calm evening air over the park.

Local musician Jim Lawrence followed suit, performing some old fashion Christmas tunes on his harmonica, which had many children dancing and laughing away under the gazebo's canopy.

In the distance, a siren blared, signifying the arrival of the town's special guest.

Hanging on the back of a fire trunk, Santa Claus pulled into the park to the cheers and greetings of everyone. He said he took a small break to stop by and say hi to all of friends in Florenceville-Bristol, but he couldn't bring his sleigh because of the lack of snow.

The man in red handed out sweet candy canes to all the children as they gathered around to say hello. Some gave the jolly elf a big hug, while others posed with him for a picture.

After making his rounds at the park, Santa said he had to get back to the North Pole because he had a lot of preparations to do before Christmas Eve. As he jumped back on fire truck, he waved goodbye to all and promised to return to town on Dec. 24.