Santa Claus swings by Kinsman for visit, parade
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KINSMAN -- While the Kinsman Business and Community Association each year sponsors a community Christmas event, this year's festivities had to be changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Santa Claus and his helpers rode a sleigh atop a float pulled by a tractor Sunday afternoon along state Route 7, from Good Intentions Market and Cafe to the township center, where Santa picked up letters children had written and placed inside a large North Pole gingerbread house.
Santa and his crew then went to the Boyd's Kinsman Home to leave presents for the special needs adults who are residents there. Many of them could be seen looking out doors and windows of the building as Santa and his crew left the presents in boxes at the front door.
Amy Davis of Kinsman and owner of Good Intentions with her husband, Floyd, said while they couldn't have children sitting on Santa's lap at the center like they usually do, the children could leave letters for him where mailboxes were set up throughout the community.
"This year's theme for Christmas in Kinsman was 'Letters to Santa,' which we made sure Santa was able to get from the children," Davis said.
Jennifer Ribley of Padrone's Pizza said, "We wanted to bring some Christmas spirit locally, doing what we were able to safely do. We wanted to have the children have some Christmas spirit even if they could not sit on Santa's lap."
Ribley and her husband, Joe, and their son, Jackson, 5, helped Santa load and unload the sleigh.
Jackson said he was excited to get to see Santa and had a letter for him.
Township Trustee Greg Leonhard said that in the future, the township and the local business community can combine events for a larger Christmas holiday event for children.
"We are glad to be part of what the local businesses are doing this year for the holidays. I helped my wife in Cortland last week at an event and saw more smiles than I have in nine months. Events like this help distract people from thinking about all that has happened this year," said Leonhard, who portrayed Santa for the event.