Armonk Ready to Welcome Frosty the Snowman Home on Sunday
If it’s Thanksgiving weekend and the traditional start of the holiday season, that means something very special is about to happen in Armonk. It’s time for another Frosty Day.
One of the hamlet’s most fun-filled days of the year returns this Sunday afternoon with non-stop activities and attractions. It will also include the parade, featuring antique cars, fire engines and members of dozens of local organizations, which ends at Wampus Brook Park for the tree lighting ceremony.
The parade starts at 4 p.m. on Old Route 22 and makes its way up Main Street to Maple Avenue before heading to the park. The tree lighting will take place after 4:30 p.m.
The day is topped off with a visit from everyone’s favorite snowman, Frosty, who has been making his way home for the event every year for the past decade.
If Frosty Day doesn’t put a smile on your face, no matter what age you are, then it’s possible nothing will.
“You kind of relive your childhood through the wonder and the magic of a day like this,” said Robby Morris, president of the Friends of Frosty, Inc., which organizes the event every year.
Armonk claimed Frosty the Snowman as its own about 10 years ago when it was learned that Steve Nelson, the lyricist for the popular Christmas song, lived in Armonk for roughly the last 30 years of his life before he passed away in 1981.
Morris said that every year organizers look to introduce new activities to keep the event fresh. From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., there are about 50 different things to do, from rides in a horse-drawn wagon and the small trains taking passengers on a loop around the downtown to four different musical groups that will entertain visitors in and around Armonk Square.
New this year is the addition of a stilt band – musicians who perform while walking around on stilts, Morris said. They will be performing from 3:30 to 4 p.m., the only down time after the activities end and the start of the parade, he said.
During those three hours there are a wide assortment of activities, many for children. Morris said there shouldn’t be a dull moment for anyone.
“With the number of activities that we have, now you can’t possibly do all the activities,” he said.
Visitors can also check out the shops, which will be open on Sunday, for specials, free treats and special activities. If anyone needs to sit down or warm up, go to the North Castle Public Library, which will be showing a continuous loop of the animated Christmas television classic “Frosty the Snowman.”
A change this year, Morris said, is Frosty will be around all day, giving families a better opportunity to snap pictures with him. He will again be bringing up the end of the parade, but because he’s the star of the day, in the past Frosty would often be swarmed by children and the crowds.
“The guy who we have for Frosty was a professional mascot for the Islanders and the guy’s unbelievable,” Morris said. “In most of these costumes you have such limited vision but this guy goes around like he’s got x-ray vision.”
Frosty will also remain at the gazebo at Wampus Brook Park up to an hour after the tree lighting to take pictures.
Judy Willsey, owner of Framings and one of the Friends of Frosty organizers, said Frosty Day has turned into a fun time for everyone, including the merchants who are closed most Sundays.
“It’s a great day and I honestly think it helps us get in the spirit, too,” she said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
