Clouds break for Santa’s grand entrance into the Shenandoah Valley

SHENANDOAH – Santa Claus and his elves made a grand entrance into the Shenandoah Valley Friday afternoon and had a perfect break in the weather to do so.

Dozens gathered at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Shenandoah’s west end at midday for the longtime Black Friday tradition.

Mrs. T’s Pierogies has sponsored the Skydiving Santa event for the past 17 years after a hiatus for about 15 years. It was originally put together by the Shenandoah Merchants Association until the early 1990s.

Mrs. Claus, Frosty the Snowman, and more entertained grounds on the ground as the Shenandoah Valley Band Boosters sold hot chocolate.

For a short time, the skies closed and graupel fell.

Then, just after noon, clouds broke over the west end and two elves emerged from a Cessna 182F Skylane airplane circling overhead at just under 3,000 feet. A moment later, the jolly old elf himself leaped from the plane.

It wasn’t long before the two elves and Santa landed, crossing over the eastern bleachers at the stadium and landing at midfield.

“That was great,” Tom Twardzik, owner of Ateeco, Inc. and Mrs. T’s Pierogies, told the Sentinel after the jump. “They came down fast and had to fight some wind. Very impressive.”

“The sun came out, then it went away, and then it came back again,” Twardzik added.

Each year, the Maytown Sport Parachute Club from the Lancaster area conducts the skydive.

Following the jump, Santa boarded the Polish American Fire Company’s antique Seagrave engine and received an escort downtown by the Shenandoah Police Department and Shenandoah Valley Marching Band.

In toe in the parade were trucks from the Shenandoah Fire Department, West Mahanoy Township Fire Department, and Shenandoah Ambulance.

The parade concluded at Shenandoah Borough Hall, where Santa greeted families and received letters to take home to the North Pole.

The festivities in Shenandoah continue Friday evening downtown with Coal Cracker Christmas.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home.

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