It was a beautiful Eastern Shore night for the Cape Charles 2nd Annual “Grand Illumination”, moon nearly full, skies clear, stars shining down brightly on the event, temperatures in the mid-40’s, cool-ish but not cold. ( Unlike last year at the 1st Annual “Grand Illumination” where the wind was a little brisk– I was sorry I hadn’t brought a pair of gloves and worn a warmer blazer, finding myself doing jazzercise steps to keep warm — jingle bells, stomp-stomp-stomp, jingle bells, stomp,stomp,stomp– you get the picture.) Running a bit late, I threaded through the gathered crowd of happy youngsters, oldsters, teenies and toddlers, to find Daughter #3, daughter- in- law # 1 and four grandkids who fortunately had already located good viewing spots near the front of The Gazebo at Cape Charles’ beautiful Central Park. Caroling was just beginning, kicked off by the Master of Ceremonies, Chris Bannon of Seagate B&B, dressed in a bright red Santa hat and wrapped in a big holiday smile.
Dedicated in September, 2010, the Cape Charles Central Park, with its wide green, gracefully curving sidewalks, lovely fountain, dozens of Memorial Trees, elaborate children’s playground and The Gazebo, is the glorious result of years of collective effort by the many, many volunteers of ” Citizens For Central Park” and nearly a million dollars in donations and grants. It’s now the pride of the little coastal town of Cape Charles, the site of public events large and small, a place for individuals and families to enjoy a walk, a jog, a frisbee contest on a summer’s eve. And now, for the holidays, it’s a magical place of trees and old-fashioned Victorian style lamp posts strung with thousands of twinkling lights, colors galore and blazing white, a feast for the eyes, a sight for every passerby to enjoy as they light up the night.
Meanwhile, back at The Gazebo, folks were still arriving, strolling down the Park’s curving paths, now lined with luminaries glowing brightly in the darkness, twinkling like little stars fallen to earth, everyone receiving a candle . Up on stage, Santa and Mrs. Claus ( a big shout-out to Larry and Trina Veber, long time Cape Charles residents, for all the time they donate to make so many great local events even better), gathered with the Mayor, the choir, some members of Cape Charles Town Council, Cape Charles Chief of Police, Commander of the Cape Charles Coast Guard Station as Chris Bannon gave a memorial tribute to Melvin Dudley, without whose tireless efforts Central Park would not be what it is today. In fact, a beautiful red cedar has been been planted in a place of honor near the playground as a Memorial Tree for Melvin Dudley and has been designated as the now and future Official Christmas Tree of Cape Charles. Its plaque reads: ” In honor of his dedication to Cape Charles, his gifts of wisdom, his grand sense of humor, his love of family and appreciation of the beauty of this environment.” Then, a flip of the switch and the Melvin R. Dudley Memorial Tree burst into brightly glowing colors, the first tree to be illuminated. As dignitaries came down from the stage to light the candles of those gathered below, golden flickers spread until hundreds of candles glowed in the darkness, spreading light and good cheer as carols continued to be sung and smiles contined to grow. ‘Tis after all, The Season. Then the big moment- Mayor Dora Sullivan asked everyone to blow out their candles and turn towards the Park Green. As they turned, the entire Park leapt into color, everywhere trees and lampposts glowed and twinkled as thousands of points of shining lights enveloped Central Park in a brilliant blanket of sparkling luminous energy, evoking a wave of applause from the crowd as the 2nd Annual “Grand Illumination” was concluded.
Time then for visiting with Santa and Mrs. Claus who had flown in straight from the North Pole just for this event ! Kids large and small lined up for a shy chat with Santa and a big hug from Mrs. Claus. It was really sweet and so authentic, The Gazebo wreathed in brilliant blue lights, Santa and Mrs. Claus in bright red, kids waiting patiently in line for a chance to whisper into Santa’s ear their deepest holiday wishes, phone cameras clicking as parents snapped pictures, reindeer nickering just a few feet away, their bells jingling gaily. Well, not exactly reindeer, actually more like horses…. but they definitely were nickering and their manes were entwined with ribbons and little bells which jingled gaily at every toss of their bedecked heads.
Thanks to the folks from the Triple M Ranch, a 150 acre horse farm with winding riding trails located just outside Cape Charles, 6 beautiful and patient horses and their riders had gathered at the entrance to Central Park so that kids of all ages, including myself, would have a chance to pat and talk to them. ( Check out Triple M at www.triplemranches.com ) My youngest grandson, who is a bit awed by horses, just loved seeing them all dressed up in their red and green holiday finery. He even ventured a gentle stroking of the neck of a small filly. What an unexpected treat, it brought a real old-fashioned holiday flair to this great small town event, hope to see these reindeer, I mean horses, again next year at Cape Charles’ 3rd Annual “Grand Illumination” !
(Posted by Marlene Cree, licensed Virginia agent with Blue Heron Realty Co., 7134 Wilsonia Neck Dr., Machipongo, VA)