North Royalton welcomed Santa Claus and the Holiday Season to the City on Sunday November 26th with the 22nd Annual Christmas Parade and Holiday Lighting Ceremony on the City Green.
It had been raining all day, but that did not dampen the spirits of residents and their children. They came to see the parade and excitedly waited for Santa to arrive on the big red fire truck. He did arrive with his elf and they made their way to the gazebo to help with the lighting before making their way to Santa’s Red and White House to welcome the children and have a chat.
Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz and a group of North Royalton youngsters led the crowd in the countdown and flipped the switch on the holiday lights from the gazebo. When the countdown reached zero the displays along Ridge and Royalton Roads lit up. If you are driving by, you’ll also notice the Christmas Tree burning bright in the gazebo.
Mayor Antoskiewicz said that despite the rain, he was glad to see a great turnout. “We always have this event the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition in the City. We’ve have some cold weather. This year we have rain. When you look at the crowd, it’s amazing how many people turned out.”
The lighting ceremony is a great event for the community. “We’ve always been a welcoming community here in North Royalton,” says Mayor Antoskiewicz. “These events are what we do here in the City. We’re ramping up these kind of events, too. We love to do this for the residents and newcomers to North Royalton.”
Among the newcomers attending the Lighting Ceremony was John Stone, who recently moved into the City from Cleveland. “This is great. My neighborhood in Cleveland never had anything like this, and my granddaughter gets to see Santa.”
Rob Lapadot also recently moved into the City. His son wanted to come to see one person in particular. “Santa! That is at the top on his list. He’s really into Santa Claus this year,” he said. Rob had stroller duties on the Green, while his wife was busy trying to keep up with their son.
The second busiest place on the Green was the little green house, manned by the Lions Club, where hot chocolate and snacks, free of charge, were provided. Event Chair Katy DaFonseca says her crew of nine, serving up the hot cocoa, were there for two reasons. “We’re here for the community and we’re here for the kids.”
“This is one of our signature service events of the year,” says North Royalton Lions Club President Dan Lester. “These signature events are designed to give back to the community.”
At Santa’s Red and White House, parents and kids stood in the rain for a chance to see Santa, but nobody seemed to mind. Santa took the time to listen to boys’ and girls’ wish lists. On their way out, Santa’s helper gave each child a little gift. As always, the Recorder was there to photograph the children with Santa. They were excited, knowing that their photo may be chosen to be in the paper.
Katy Evert of North Royalton brought her three-year-old daughter to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas. “Play-Doh was at the top of the list, along with Lego sets and lots of Candy.”
Another highlight of the ceremony was the North Royalton High School Marching Band’s Drumline and the North Royalton High School Choir. They performed traditional holiday songs and hymns in the parade and at the gazebo.
North Royalton Council President Paul Marnecheck says the lighting and parade helps us to get ready for Christmas. “With the new lights and the improvements that have been made to the City Green, it’s kind of nice to get back to something simple like this and just being part of the community.”

By JOE JASTRZEMSKI
Contributing Writer