Frosty the Snowman Makes His Return to Armonk on Saturday
It hasn’t taken long for Frosty Day to become arguably the most anticipated day on the calendar in Armonk.
Judging by last year’s turnout of more than 1,000 people, many of whom traveled from outside of North Castle to participate, the light-hearted atmosphere combined with fun activities and the Christmas season has made Frosty Day a big winner for the town.
“The fact that Armonk has more of a community feeling makes it a real treat because it gives a local event a small town flavor but it’s something that is so international,” said Ed Woodyard, president of Friends of Frosty, Inc., the nonprofit group that helps the town organize the day.
The centerpiece of the annual daylong festival is the Main Street parade that will feature more than 30 local groups and organizations and a visit by Frosty the Snowman himself. The parade ends at Wampus Brook Park for the Christmas tree lighting.
Armonk has claimed Frosty as its own. Lyricist Steve Nelson, who co-wrote “Frosty the Snowman,” was a frequent visitor to the area and eventually moved to the hamlet in the early 1950s. The downtown historic district, referred to in the lyrics as the village square, was likely an inspiration for the song, Woodyard said. Nelson lived in the house that he built when he moved to town and continued to reside there until his death in 1981.
As the popularity of the event increases, the Westchester County Office of Tourism has listed Frosty Day as one of the top 10 things to do in the county, said the office’s director Natasha Caputo.
“It is so wonderful to have the return of Frosty Day,” said County Executive Rob Astorino. “It is a must-do in Westchester to celebrate the holiday season at Frosty’s hometown of Armonk.”
This year’s festivities gets underway at 2 p.m. with a Frosty scavenger hunt for children five to 12 years old and the showing of Frosty the Snowman cartoons along with refreshments at the North Castle Library. Also between 2 and 4 p.m., is the Smith’s Tavern open house.
At 4:30 p.m. is the start of the Frosty Parade. Woodyard said this year they elongated the route, starting at the Armonk Town Center and proceeding down Main Street. Like the previous years, at Bedford Road, the parade turns left, files past town hall and then moves onto Maple Avenue before heading to the park for the Christmas tree lighting.
This year, with the event coinciding with the first night of Hanukkah, there will also be the lighting of the Menorah at Wampus Brook Park. The Christmas tree and Menorah lightings will be followed by the Winter Walk, which includes hayrides, carolers and Santa. Visitors are encouraged to stay in town to go for dinner.
Woodyard said some of the businesses as well as the municipal buildings will have clothing bins throughout the holiday season to collect winter coats for families in communities throughout the tri-state area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.
Supervisor Howard Arden said the town parks and recreation staff and personnel other departments have been hard at work cleaning Wampus Brook Park from the debris caused by the hurricane. It is expected that the park will be ready, although there is a contingency plan to have the lightings near town hall, if necessary, he said.
For more information on Frosty Day, 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/
