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Community Corner

Miracle On Main Kicks Off The Holiday Season

Hundreds gather on Main Street for shopping, entertainment, food and fun.

Miracle on Main Street has been kicking off the Holiday Season in town for the past four years and drawing in hundreds for shopping, entertainment, food and family fun.

With a tree lighting, petting zoo, outdoor movies, a gingerbread contest, a carousel and, of course, Santa all coming to town on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, it has become a place for both children and adults to enjoy.

The 1970s animated movie classic, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," played on two large outdoor screen TVs on Main Street and was reminiscent of an old drive-in movie as children of all ages gathered around to watch.

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Bohemia residents Tom and Krista Donnelly, along with their children, enjoyed watching the movie and have been coming to Miracle On Main Street since it began. “We’ve come for the past four years. We love the feeling, the Christmas spirit in the air. The reindeer and Santa kicks off all of it for Christmas," said Krista Donnelly.

Local residents aren’t the only people who came to Miracle on Main Street. Margaret Miller from East Islip and Debbie Gladitz from Levittown came to town to enjoy the festivities and shopping. “I was at the diner here in town last week and I saw the flyer for Miracle on Main Street and I said to my daughter, ‘let’s do that next Saturday, it would be great.’ It gets us into the holiday spirit,” Miller said.

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The mild weather seemed to play a part in getting people to come and take part in the merriment. “It’s not cold. It’s a beautiful night and I think it’s a great family thing to do. I think it’s great for the children of the town. I love the fact that they put on the shows and the kids can watch movies,” Gladitz said.

Alana Kroman, store manager of Ooh La La, could hardly escape from behind the register due to busy shoppers.

“I think compared to last year, this is a big difference. This year is a much better turnout," she said. This year Miracle on Main ran parallel with the much advertised Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express and may also have contributed to the bigger turnout. “We are giving out free Ooh La La tees for every customer who uses their American Express card. Business has been awesome," Kroman added.

Beautiful baskets filled with treats, candles and other goodies are a popular gift item for the holidays and outside the storefront of A Basketful, owner April Ilg could be seen serving hot cider to customers and passersby. “It’s been busy with lots of traffic in and out which is nice. The weather has been nice and people aren’t racing in to stay warm. They are having a good time out there," she said.

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