Armonk Gets Ready for Return of Frosty the Snowman This Sunday
One of the most anticipated days of the year is once again about to be celebrated in Armonk.
North Castle’s annual Frosty Day is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, featuring an assortment of fun activities for the entire family throughout downtown. There will also be free munchies, a parade down Main Street and the tree lighting at Wampus Brook Park.
“You can see it in the faces of the children and the adults. This is a fun family event,” said Robby Morris, a member of the Frosty Committee comprised of volunteers that organize the annual event.
It also seemingly gets bigger each year. In the first few installments, it was an event that was known primarily to local residents, but the past few Frosty Days have attracted visitors from around Westchester and the tristate area.
“It captures the spirit of the town, it highlights the word community for our town,” said Supervisor Michael Schiliro. “It’s living proof that a town is only as good as the people who are part of the town.”
As much as Frosty Day has been a rousing success in drawing visitors and helping to raise Armonk’s visibility, there are always changes. This year is no different. Organizers for the first time shifted the festivities to Sunday, so it wouldn’t interfere with merchants and Small Business Saturday, Morris said.
He said there is no parking on Main Street and the street gets closed off to traffic shortly before the parade, so a Saturday Frosty Day was negatively impacting business owners on one of their busier days of the year.
So the Frosty Committee asked merchants to open on Sunday this year and it switched the day of the celebration, which could give some owners an extra day of business, Morris said. It received favorable reaction from the storeowners.
The other change is the start time of the parade, probably the key attraction of the day along with the tree lighting. Morris said the parade with between 40 and 50 participating groups, steps off at 4 p.m., a half-hour earlier to take advantage of the waning daylight and before it starts getting noticeably colder. Instead of a 5 p.m. tree lighting, that also gets pushed up about a half-hour, but it is still dark enough for the lights to take effect, he said. Before the lighting, holiday tunes will be sung.
Morris said this year there will be a wider assortment of bands and entertainers throughout downtown, adding to the enjoyment of the day.
Seven years ago Armonk proclaimed itself Frosty the Snowman’s hometown. The lyricist of the famous Christmas song, Steve Nelson, moved to Armonk shortly after he penned the words in 1950 and lived in the hamlet until his death in 1981.
The celebration gets underway with activities at 12:30 p.m. and lasts until 3:30 p.m. when the downtown gets ready for the parade.
For a full list of specials, giveaways and activities that are planned, visit www.armonkfrosty.com.
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/