ORANGE — “Santa in the Park” has been a tradition in Orange since at least the 1940s, and children from across town flock to Memorial Park the day after Thanksgiving to meet the big man.
But there’s a sense it’s going to be extra special this year.
On Friday, Nov. 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Santa Claus will ride up in a fire truck, Police Chief James Sullivan will read a story and the townsfolk will get to see the splendor of new holiday lights reaching across the Millers River.
“This year, people will be amazed. We are spreading Christmas spirit,” said Jeff Cole, of Witty’s Funeral Home, adding “Memorial Park is really an anchor of the downtown area.”
According to Selectboard member Tom Smith, the event has been orchestrated by Orange Merchants Group, a voluntary collection of local businesses who have raised $7,000 for new decorations, which will be lit up for the first time at “Santa in the Park.”
“We’re just excited we are able to do it,” said Brenda Anderson, of Trail Head Outfitters & General Store. “We are a relatively new group and it was a bigger project than we thought.”
Trees, light posts and the park will be lit up with the decorations, but most exciting is the “skyline” lights Orange Merchants Group has strung across the Millers River.
The “skyline” light display is a collection of holiday lights depicting two reindeer and other Christmas icons, and it’s been strung from the Orange Fire Station to the boathouse on the other side of the river.
“I think the main thing that will surprise people is how much more it is than last year,” Smith said.
No town money went toward the decorations, which are all commercial-grade and ordered from companies like Rileighs Outdoor Decor in Pennsylvania.
Orange Merchants Group hopes the festivities will bring a strong sense of community after a particularly rough year for Orange, with cuts having been made to town departments following a failed tax override vote this summer.
“I’m hoping it brings a togetherness,” Cole said. “There’s been so many problems this year, with the budget in town, and I think it kind of splintered the town.
“This will be almost like ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ comes to Orange,” he added.
“The bigger picture is the whole country is fractured at the moment, and a lot of people are just saying they have had enough,” Anderson said. “This is what we’re doing, and we hope it pulls people together.”
This is the first year the Orange Merchants Group is heading the event. Previously, the Orange Business Association ran the event before its dissolution. Organizers are hoping for good weather and more than 100 children to show up — each will leave with a “goody bag,” said Smith.
And it’s been quite a project, Anderson said, with the group having to use a bucket truck to place particularly hard-to-reach decorations.
“We all come together, and you realize everyone has different strengths they can use to make this happen,” Anderson said.
In addition to the festivities at Memorial Park, residents might notice the 26 downtown lampposts are uniquely decorated. Like last year, Orange Merchants Group has facilitated a decorating contest.
Businesses that donated $25 were given the opportunity to decorate a pole. Each pole is different — with one unifier, white holiday lights — and people may vote on their favorite pole online at the town website or at Trail Head, 1 South Main St. The businesses that decorated the poles are anonymous, and a winner will be announced for Orange’s “Starry Starry Night” event celebrating the new year.
“It’s been a reason for people just to wander around town,” said Anderson, adding it’s been a pleasant surprise people have gotten out to see the lights.
“We just did it to make the town look nice,” Anderson said. “But it has this bonus that it makes people feel good.”
In the event of bad weather, “Santa in the Park” will be moved from Memorial Park to Town Hall, 6 Prospect St.
Donations are still being accepted by the Orange Merchants Group. Any money that is not spent on holiday decorations to be used next Friday will go toward next year’s decorations.
According to Anderson and Cole, some ideas Orange Merchants Group has thought about for the future are putting more lights on the South Main Street bridge, along the riverfront or at Riverfront Park, and at Town Hall.
To donate, send a check to “Witty’s Funeral Home, 158 South Main St., Orange, MA 01364” and write “holiday decorations” on the memo line.
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.