Though the traditional Breakfast with Santa in Batavia was canceled due to the pandemic, Santa still made an appearance over the weekend in the city outside the historic Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad caboose downtown.
The Batavia Park District replaced its traditional Breakfast with Santa with Snapshots with Santa, a socially-distant visit and photo opportunity staged for one family at a time outside the Batavia Depot Museum.
The caboose at the site was built in Aurora in 1907. The railroad company retired the caboose in 1973 and it was relocated to the Batavia Depot Museum a year later, according to the Batavia Historical Society.
Normally the event would have been the park district’s annual Breakfast with Santa hosted at the East Side Community Center, Batavia Park District Recreation Supervisor Bethann Guidarelli said.
In typical years hundreds of children have visited with Santa over a serving of pancakes and syrup but this is not a typical holiday season as families deal with the challenges of the pandemic, officials said.
Families with young children stayed six feet from the caboose on Saturday to get a glimpse of the man in the red suit.
Dana and Chris Weller welcomed the alternative visit with Santa. The couple’s 7-year-old son Declan sat on Santa’s lap last year, his parents said.
“We still got to talk to Santa,” Dana Weller said. “We are making the best of the pandemic by doing what we can for family activities and still support local businesses.”
Jillian Geery brought her two daughters Brenna, 5, and Brooklin, 8, to the event.
“With everything going on with the pandemic, I still wanted my kids to see Santa in a safe way. It’s better than not doing it at all,” she said.
Parents made arranged visits and received keepsake ornaments and candy canes for their $25 fee.
In all, 86 families came for the Snapshots with Santa.
“Families were appreciative they we were able to visit with Santa and get a photo with him even if it was at a distance,” Guidarelli said.
The city has partnered with the Batavia Park District and Batavia MainStreet for an annual Celebration of Lights Festival in past years to usher in the holiday season.
A virtual tree lighting was held featuring Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, Batavia Park District Executive Director Allison Niemela and master of ceremonies Craig Foltos of Foltos Tonsorial Parlor.
The video features past footage of the Batavia Community Band that performs on the stage of the Peg Bond Center Performing Arts Pavilion in normal years.
The three entities decided to install the largest Christmas decoration program in the history of the city in response to what has happened due to the ongoing pandemic, Schielke said.
The Riverwalk features 25 trees trimmed in holiday lights.
“The message to Batavia is a wish for everyone to have a Merry Christmas and for a year from now there is a return to the grand days we had before. This year we are not going to let any grass grow beneath our feet or let any pandemic stand in our way from making downtown Batavia the prettiest spot in the entire Fox River Valley,” Schielke said.
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