Nearly a foot a snow and 25-degree temperatures doesn’t mean outdoor entertainment is over in Lake George Village. Saturday night, Shepard Park filled with a crowd estimated at 400 to sing holiday favorites and bask in the glow of thousands of LED Christmas lights all while fireworks shot off over the lake and St. Nick barreled into town via fire truck to visit with Village children. The Light up the Village celebration marks the start of the holiday season for the lakeside village.
Festivities kicked off at 4:30 p.m. with a community sing along. Bobby and Susie Dick took the Shepard Park stage at 5 p.m., entertaining with modern holiday songs and popular pop tunes. Following an encore group singing of “Frozen,” which brought dozens of children to the stage, the crowd counted down to the main event, the lighting of the Village. As the dark park filled with glowing colors, fireworks lit the sky and a Lake George Volunteer Fire Company truck pulled up to the park entrance blasting “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
The crowd escorted Santa to the firehouse on Ottawa Street where children and their parents lined up for a visit with St. Nick. In the firehouse bay, the Lake George Community Band put on a concert of holiday favorites. Hot Chocolate and cookies were served.
The holiday lights in Shepard Park and Blais Park on Beach Road will remain lit through New Year’s Day. The street lamp snowflakes that illuminate Canada Street will remain in place through the February Winter Carnival season. Many shops along Canada Street will be open for holiday shopping on weekends throughout December and local taverns and restaurants are open as well for holiday gatherings.