Family members help Zoey Anthony over to Santa, Dave Schwartz. (Photos by Elisa Walker)

SYRACUSE — The weather may have been dark and rainy, but inside the community center everyone was warm and joyful. Children and families visited Saturday morning, Dec. 1, for a pancake and sausage breakfast along with a visit with the jolly man himself.

Various local organizations came together to give back to the community — from the Boy Scouts providing cookies to the Syracuse Public Library setting up a crafting station, there were treats for everyone. To add to the atmosphere, the Wawasee High School Christmas Band came in large numbers to play Christmas songs.

“This is a great opportunity for the community to get together,” commented Dr. Tom Edington It’s wonderful to see all the different organizations partnering for the community and I’m proud of how many band members came this year — double from last year. It’s great. All of this when the weather is less than optimal.”

In the celebration hall, a letter writing station was set up for kids who hadn’t gotten to write their letters to Santa yet. Children can expect responses from Santa in the next few weeks.