The Arts Center of the Ozarks elves call it “magical” and “fun” and promise Breakfast With Santa delivers something no visit to the shopping mall ever could.
“It’s a whole experience rather than just sitting on Santa’s lap for 30 seconds,” says Lesha Fogerty, who has been assisting Santa ever since he started his regular visits to Springdale.
This year’s Breakfast With Santa events are set for 8:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Saturday, and they offer not just a chance to sit on Santa’s lap for those much-desired pictures but opportunities to create a craft and decorate cookies in the company of Mrs. Claus.
Board member Joyce Stafford has been in charge of the craft project for several years, but this time, she says, is different. Instead of making picture frames - because parents enjoy sharing their Santa photos by email - youngsters will create reindeer ornaments.
That’s not as simple as it sounds, says Stafford, who grew up acting, studied drama at the University of Arkansas and founded a theater company in Chicago.
“One year, I had this great idea we’d put their names on their picture frames, so I got sticky alphabet letters,” she remembers. “We ran out of As! We ran out of Es! It was a free-for-all! I learned to keep it simple.”
Margaret Johnson, also a longtime ACO Board member, has learned over the years that children will approach cookie decorating from every possible perspective - neat and tidy or abstract and messy, fast or slow, ready to eat it now orsave it for later. The secret, she says, is to make the icing and a rainbow of sprinkles available - and “just let them take it from there.”
Johnson says she finds herself grinning from ear to ear because the children are - and so are their parents.
“It’s really a relaxed atmosphere for them,” she says, pointing out youngsterscan safely go from activity to activity at their own pace while mom and dad take the opportunity to learn about the Arts Center of the Ozarks.
“It brings a lot of people through the door who haven’t been to the arts center before,” she says.
And the ACO gives them every reason to come back, Fogerty adds.
“It’s great timing because it’s right around ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,’ and that’s a great show for kids to see kids on stage,” she says.
“Plus there are classes for kids.
“My parents have taken me to shows at the ACO since I was 4 or 5 years old, so I’m kind of a fixture,” adds Fogerty, who is the stay-at-home mom of a 6-month-old son.
She intends to introduce her baby to Santa at this year’s breakfast and looks forward to the future.
“Because I typically work with Santa himself, I get to see the kids’ excitement. Some of them just go crazy in line because they can’t wait to see him!”
And what does the Jolly Old Elf himself have to say?
Simply “ho, ho, ho !”
Whats Up, Pages 10 on 12/06/2013