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61st Panorama lights up downtown Simcoe

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Chilly temperatures didn’t keep the crowds away from the annual Simcoe Christmas Panorama of lights.

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Several hundred people gathered in Wellington Park to watch as seven-year-old Lucian Elder flipped the switch to turn on the lights for the 61st annual festival on Saturday evening.

Lucian, a Grade 2 student at Elgin Avenue Public School, won the honour after entering a contest to officially kick-off the light display.

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The youngster, who is a fan of the Panorama of lights – the boat display being his favourite, said he wasn’t at all nervous with handling such a big task.

Lucian said he would like a Beyblade toy for Christmas. He had a perfect opportunity to ask Santa for just that as the Jolly Old Elf and Mrs. Claus assisted him on stage for the official opening.

Coun. Ian Rabbitts brought greetings on behalf of the county and thanked the volunteers and Norfolk County staff who make the event happen. Rabbitts, who represents Ward 5 – Simcoe, said Panorama was a part of his childhood. He described the light festival as a ‘magical place’ for children and for the young at heart.

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Along with the light up, the Panorama featured a Christmas market for the first time. Ten cabins built at Abel Enterprises have been placed in the park among the displays.

The market, a joint venture by the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise and Simcoe Rotary, features local artisans and businesses with plenty of gifts and goodies for people attending Panorama to purchase.

“It was a terrific experience,” said Gail Catherwood, a member of the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise and the spearhead of the market idea. “When you work at something you have this idea of how it should look, everybody came together and when those lights came it was thrilling.”

Among the businesses taking part in the first weekend of the market were Nifty Gifty Waterford, Ritzy Cakes, 4 Seasons Farm Shop, Original Kettlecorn, Embracing Wholeness, Fairfog Creations, Unilever, Chopping Blocks, Fred Bulbeck and Ethan Moir.

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Embracing the spirit of Christmas, Unilever offered ice cream to festival-goers for a donation, with all of the proceeds going directly back to Panorama.

There will also be activities put on in the park by the market planning committee, including floral arrangements and wreath making.

“Everyone was very pleased with the response that they had, and the sales that they made,” said Catherwood. “Rotary did a lot of work to get those cabins in and get the electricity working but it was a sight to behold.”

There are only a few cabins left during the last week of the Panorama. Anyone looking to rent one for their business can contact Catherwood at gailcatherwood@hotmail.com.

Unfortunately, the market was cancelled on Sunday due to the freezing rain but will return this coming weekend.

The market will be open on Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. until December 22.

Updates regarding the Panorama or Christmas market can be found on the Simcoe Christmas Panorama and Panorama Christmas Farm Market Facebook pages.

astaylor@postmedia.com

With notes from Kim Novak

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