Winter Wonderland returned to Pelham for a third year Nov. 25 under the auspices of the Pelham Chamber of Commerce, which curated a day downtown for people of all ages to celebrate the holidays.

The wonderland provided numerous activities such as carriage rides, a mini-carnival, a petting zoo, a photo booth and a gaming truck. Later in the day, Santa arrived at the gazebo, and children waited in line to take their picture with him.

Small businesses and organizations set up booths, including Effervest Candles, Tig & Peach, the Junior League of Pelham, the Pelham Girl Scouts, Peace Street Co. and Chill Hawaiian Shave Ice and Sweet Treats. As always, Winter Wonderland coincided with Small Business Saturday. 

Latisha Brace, the founder of Effervest Candles, said, “It’s my second time here at Pelham Wonderland, I love it! It is fantastic. The energy is great, and definitely come on down.”

Near the petting zoo, the Music Academy of Westchester performed a handful of songs, including “Black Velvet,” “Everlong” and “Hunger Strike.”

“Winter Wonderland is a phenomenal opportunity for local businesses to show off their products and services,” said Samantha Bonanno, one of the singers.  

Cristina Biaggi, founder of Peace Street Co., who also oversees membership for the chamber, said, “I had the opportunity to organize the market this year. It’s been a great partnership with all the local businesses. It’s been a great collaboration of everyone coming together.” 

As the day began wrapping up, the Girl Scouts sang their annual carols for the crowd, and the Christmas tree was lit.

“This is a great opportunity because a lot of our chamber businesses operate online… so it’s an opportunity to see the depth and breadth of our chamber businesses down on Fifth Avenue,” said Cristina Chianese, president of the chamber. “It’s a great day to tie the community together. I’ve become so close with the business owners, and I’m very proud of the work we’re doing. We’ve broken down the walls of competition, and we’re just a community who supports each other and rallies for each other. The work that we’re doing is important, and I think it’s going to shape our future here in Pelham.”

Winter Wonderland was sponsored by Meridian Risk Management, Meridian Realty Consultants, Domenic DeNigris Monuments and Mausoleums, Pelham Funeral Home, J&S Mechanical Plumbing, SCS Contracting Services and SSB Industries.

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