Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
With Christmas just around the corner, the Seneca Woodlands Women’s Club wanted to do something special for the communities it serves, so the club has organized a Community Christmas at the Dunmore Community Center.
The event will take place Saturday, December 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. and feature fun activities, games, food and a special program with the Amazing Ellie – a certified service dog.
“We’re going to have musical chairs and we’re going to play a few Christmas songs with the kids,” Tammy Hively said. “We’ve got little books that we’re going to give them when they win.”
Across from the musical chairs arena will be an area set up for the Amazing Ellie to perform and read Christmas books to the kids with her handler Donna Dombek.
Dombek and Ellie will share Ellie’s amazing journey to become a service dog and the many tricks and services she can perform.
There will also be stations for cookie decorating and crafts.
“Ellie made paw prints on Christmas trees and the hats of the snowmen, so they can decorate those,” Hively said.
While the children are playing and crafting, the adults can enter the Ugly Sweater Contest in the hope of winning gift cards from local businesses.
As Dombek and Ellie gather everyone together to read a Christmas book, a special guest will catch Ellie’s attention, and she will escort him to a chair next to a Christmas tree so he can meet with the children.
“Santa has gifts he will be handing out,” Hively said. “Parents can get pictures with Santa and Ellie, but we won’t have a photographer. They can bring their own cameras.”
It will be an evening chock full of Christmas cheer and fun for families, and it’s free.
“Hopefully it’s the beginning of something we can continue for years,” Hively said.
In addition to the Seneca Woodlands Women’s Club, the event was made possible with the help of Mountain State Cakes, The Mountain Shop, Pocahontas IGA and Dollar General.
