November 18, 2024

AOTB’s Annual Santa Fest and Toy Collection

Sunday, December 15

Toy Drop off 3 - 4:30 pm

Food Trucks and Party 3 - 7 pm

Santa’s arrival around 5 pm

Please plan to join us again along our Magnolia Avenue Beach for what has become one of our signature community-building and charitable events. Every year since 2011 our neighbors have joined in fellowship and public-spirited concern for local children who have so much less than our own.

An ever-increasing number of kids in strife-torn area across the globe have very little to look forward to this Holiday Season as so many have lost their homes, families, and their very lives. Most of us can’t do much to fix the world, but we can do something very positive in our own small space—Anne Arundel County.

As part of that effort, Lt. Mike Williams, Annapolis Fire Department, and his band of volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement officers have taken over Santa Run from John Muhitch. They will be collecting your generous donations in the form of unwrapped toys, games, books, puzzles, sporting gear, and anything else your own kids might like to see under their trees, for distribution to county kids who have so much less than our own.

By joining your kids at this event, parents will also have a unique opportunity to model the true spirit of this season—giving rather than receiving.

So please help us surpass last year’s generosity (see photo above) and, starting at 3 pm on December 15, walk, drive, or cycle to the Magnolia Avenue beach between Cohasset and Narragansett to drop off as many bundles of cheer as you can possibly afford. Give Santa and his elves something memorable to haul away in their sleighs when they arrive at around 5 pm to get up-close-and-personal with the best bunch of neighbors in the county. Rumor has it that one of Santa’s close relatives (they do look a lot alike) may be on hand to greet folks too.

Brisk, and hopefully not as soggy, weather often means sharpened appetites. So, after folks drop off their gifts, as we await the Jolly Old Gent riding into town in his bell-and-siren-equipped fire-sleigh, we’ll enjoy the traditional sugar fest that party-person-in-chief, Lori Strum arranges every year.

Margaret Delia has also organized another food truck event featuring the excellent Pasta 🇮🇹 la Vista and El Primo 🇲🇽 Mexican, folks that have made our previous events so successful.

Volunteers to help make alla this happen are always welcome, so please come early and stay late to help with traffic control, set-up, and clean-up operations.

H🔴, H🟢, H⚪️!