ANSONIA – Santa arrived at the Ansonia American Legion this past Saturday morning and was welcomed by a full house for the annual breakfast.
“We had around 170 kids plus parents,” said organizer Betty Burnfield. “I never really know an exact number but it’s a lot. Our crowd is always big. Our event starts at 9 a.m. and people were arriving around 8:30 am, and by 9:05 am the Legion was packed.”
The original Santa was ill this year so organizers had to find another Santa. She said Santa’s helper, Joe Arnett, took his place.
“I would like to thank Joe for helping us out on short notice,” said Burnfield, who noted that all of the children were coloring their coloring pages while waiting for Santa to arrive,” she added. “Our breakfast consisted of pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice or coffee… also Danimal yogurt drinks for the kids.”
She went on, “When doing an event like this, you really never know how much food you are gonna need, but from years of planning this event, I keep track of what I need to add more or less of. In my 26 years, we have never run out of food but came close a couple of times,” she shared.
Burnfield once again had a lot of help in getting this event set up.
“My family does a lot before, during, and after the event with getting things to and from the Legion and setting things up. Ansonia Fire Department, Ansonia Rescue, Ansonia Police Department and the mayor also helped,” Burnfield said.
Troy Kammer provided the sound with the help of Dalton Horne.
Burnfield expressed appreciation to the American Legion for the use of the building and equipment.
“It really is a community event,” remarked Burnfield. ”Ansonia Fire, the mayor and Ansonia Police do all the cooking and Ansonia Rescue does the serving, but actually everyone works wherever needed. We have a great group. We had a big crowd… not sure if it was the biggest but it was a great turnout.”
Burnfield does all of the planning for this annual event.
“I usually start making all my calls in October, but I actually shop all year long for toys and things,” she said. “I really want to thank everyone who helped put this event on.”
She also extends a big thank you to the First Responder Children’s Foundation Toys Express via the CSX Railroad for its big toy donation.
“We saw so many happy kids and that’s what it’s all about,” Burnfield concluded. “I’ve been doing this a lot of years and each year gets better. To make this event such a success, it takes all of us as a community.”
