Armonk Welcomes Home Frosty the Snowman This Saturday
America’s favorite snowman once again returns home.
Armonk will kick off the holiday season with its annual Frosty Day on Saturday, celebrating the birthplace of the famous snowman that was first popularized through the 1950s hit Christmas song and later in an animated television special.
The song’s lyricist, Steve Nelson, settled in Armonk at about the time he wrote the classic in 1950, spending the last 30 years of his life as a town resident. It is believed the hamlet’s downtown was the inspiration for the lyrics.
In a short amount of time, the annual event not only is one of the most anticipated days of the year in town but steadily gets bigger and better.
“We’re going to have fun here,” said Armonk resident Ed Woodyard, one of the organizers of the event. “It’s going to be cold, but we’re going to have a lot of warm feelings.”
As always, the highlight of the day will be the downtown parade that kicks off on Main Street at 4:30 p.m. It will turn onto Bedford Road, pass Town Hall and head onto Maple Avenue before finishing at Wampus Brook Park for the sing-along and tree and snowflake lightings. Once the parade passes, the public is encouraged to follow.
Festivities will actually commence at noon, with stores throughout downtown serving refreshments and having an assortment of activities for children and families.
This year, there will be a new feature that is likely to prove popular. From 1 to 4 p.m. the Frosty Express train ride will have pick-ups and drop-offs at Town Hall and transport people throughout the heart of downtown. Woodyard said the four-car trackless train is from the Roaming Railroad, a Suffield, Conn.-based company that provides family entertainment at venues throughout the Northeast. The train seats up to 27 passengers of all ages at one time.
The train will be in addition to the return of the popular hayrides. There will be pick-ups and drop-offs at Wampus Brook Park.
Despite no gazebo at the park this year, Woodyard said a mobile stage from the Town of Greenburgh is being brought in, the same piece that was used for last summer’s concert series. Instead of adorning the gazebo in holiday lights, there will be new ones on the footbridge and the park’s light fixtures, he said.
North Castle Supervisor Michael Schiliro said the attraction of Frosty the Snowman, which almost every child who was born since its creation knows of, and a cold weather parade makes the day a unique event.
“It’s just a terrific event that’s fun and it’s got sort of a wintry feeling, so people from all over the county now realize that it’s a pretty cool idea to have a parade in the winter,” Schiliro said.
This year Frosty Day has some competition, with the unveiling of the county’s Winter Wonderland at Kensico Dam Plaza. But that event will be open throughout the holiday season. Plus, the price is better for Frosty.
“We’re open for one day and we’re free,” Woodyard said.
For a complete schedule of Frosty Day events, visit www.armonkfrosty.com.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
