ARCHBALD - After Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and a few elves visited with children at the East Side Hose Company Four fire station Saturday afternoon, they climbed on a fire engine and traveled through the borough for hours, delivering holiday cheer and 750 bags of candy.
For at least a half-century, the Archbald Fire Department has taken Santa to visit homebound residents, bringing holiday cheer to people who might be short on it. Many area residents look forward to the annual visits.
Seventeen years ago, a group of firefighters and Santa visited Jim O'Brien's 9-month-old son, Daniel, who has Down Syndrome and have returned to visit each year since then. Mr. O'Brien and his son used to have milk and cookies for the visitors, but they've since upgraded to steak and cheese pierogies.
"This is right up there with Christmas dinner for us," Mr. O'Brien said of the experience.
Fire Chief Bob Harvey said the tradition of spending hours in the borough handing out candy with Santa is worth the investment of time and energy.
"When you see the look in many kids' eyes, you know it means a lot to them," Chief Harvey said.
Patty Zielinski, who has helped Santa deliver candy to local kids for years, said she enjoys meeting children every year, even with cooler temperatures setting in.
"It's been cold today," she said. "But it's worth it."
Archbald wasn't the only community with visits from Santa on Saturday. In the Eynon section of Archbald, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7963 hosted its annual Christmas party, which included a visit from Santa. Also organized with the American Legion Post 624, Eynon Fire Department and the VFW Lady's Auxiliary group, the gathering of area kids included face paintings, games and snacks.
"We just like doing something nice for the kids," said Kristin Thompson, president of the lady's auxiliary group.
Contact the writer: rward@timesshamrock.com, @rwardTT on Twitter.