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Date: 11/28/2022
NORTHAMPTON – After two lost years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Santa’s Trains at Look Park will return to The Garden House for 10 days throughout December.
In collaboration with the Pioneer Valley Model Railroad Club, the legacy of Santa’s Trains will continue by once again turning The Garden House into a mystical winter wonderland.
For well over 15 years, the event has offered children of all ages the chance to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, explore an “enchanted” forest of holiday trees and playful miniature villages with model trains “whizzing by.”
“Because we haven’t had this since 2019, it’s really had a pent-up demand from the community,” said Matthew LaCoille, the development director for Look Park, who runs Santa’s Trains. “There seems to be a really good vibe around it.”
Back when it started, Santa’s Trains usually ran for 21 days, but as the years went by, the days decreased so the volunteers would not burn out.
For this year specifically, LaCoille said they will host 10 “really quality” days across the month of December. According to the Look Park website, the event will last from 4 to 8 p.m. from Dec. 9 to 11; Dec. 15 to 18; and Dec. 21 to 23.
“It’s less days, but we know that we’re going to have a higher number of people coming on those days,” said LaCoille. “It’s definitely going to be busy.”
In the past, Look Park would host specific themes like Harry Potter or some cartoon. For this year, LaCoille said the park is going with “Christmas Time in the City,” which is based off the famous holiday song lyric.
Within this theme, all of the trees on display throughout The Garden House will be named after different cities in the United States, as well as other fantasy cities. “There will be about 40 to 45 trees all throughout The Garden House and outside,” said LaCoille.
A “public safety night” will also be part of the event this year, where the Northampton police chief, the Northampton fire chief, as well as other department heads and city agencies will bring their cruisers and fire trucks for display outside.
Aside of those differences, LaCoille said a lot of the event will be similar to past years. Santa’s Trains is once again free, but donations are welcome to benefit Look Park.
Additionally, someone will once again stand outside to greet everybody with tickets to the Look Park Express wagon ride, which takes people through the park to witness the Winter Wonderland Light Display. According to LaCoille, this display will last from Nov. 26 to Jan. 1, 2023. It is $5 per person to take the wagon ride through the display and free to those who take their own vehicle or walk through. People will be given the option to donate when leaving the park after traveling through the display, which LaCoille said takes about 15 minutes to drive through.
“The whole [Santa’s Trains] display is set up by the Pioneer Valley Model Railroad Club,” said LaCoille. “This year, they added a lot to their displays, as well as a couple other surprises.”
Aside from the spectacle, warm beverages and assorted desserts will also be available for purchase throughout the event. “It’s really an all-inclusive experience,” said LaCoille. “We try to really make this memorable for families.”
COVID-19 precautions
To accommodate the persistent threat of COVID-19, LaCoille said that the park has taken extra precautions for the returning event.
“We want to be very cognizant of all our volunteers and all of our staff, especially since this event brings anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 people every year,” said LaCoille.
To curb any spread, staff working near the railroad displays will stand a safe distance from children and families. Meanwhile, the rail displays themselves will be laid out in a different way so the “engineers” who operate the trains can have a little more space.
“We’re going to be putting out a ton of a masks and we’re going to have different options for families regarding safety,” said LaCoille. “We’re also giving an option where if kids want to stand a little farther away [from Santa and Mrs. Claus], they’re still able to take a nice photo with them.”
A couple of typical events will not be happening this year due to COVID-19, including a small tea party event that usually ran in the morning, as well as Santa’s Breakfast.
“These are events we really enjoy, but we want to try and limit as much congregating as possible,” said LaCoille. “We hope to bring these two events back next year.”
Other smaller precautions, like pre-packaging cookies before selling them, will also be part of this year’s event.
“We’ve tried to staff each night with extra volunteers mostly to be able to keep the flow of the night moving,” said LaCoille. “We’re taking those extra precautions this year. We’re really thankful to have great volunteers and a great community response.”
People can learn more about the event by visiting Look Park’s website at https://www.lookpark.org/.