Santa’s Workshop opens for business from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8 on the green in Brookfield Center and in the neighboring Brookfield United Methodist Church.
Santa arrives at 5 p.m. on a Brookfield fire truck, then finds a seat in the church’s fellowship hall to meet with children and pose for photos.
On the green, there will be hay rides and fire pits. In the church, there will be refreshments, storytelling, face painting and crafts.
The event is free.
Organizer Melissa Viconovic said Santa’s Workshop was created from a conversation she and her husband, Randy, had with Police Chief Dan Faustino.
“We live in a small community with great people and especially wonderful children,” Melissa Viconovic said. “Our main goal was to provide a free event. We were familiar with events such as mall Santa pictures, which were costly.
“Randy and I have volunteered for various events and non-profit organizations over the past 20 years,” she said. “Being residents of Brookfield, we felt it was time to give back to our community, in which we are raising our son, Evin. We wanted to show our son that giving back is important.”
Santa’s Workshop was held the first year in the Brookfield Township Administration Building, but outgrew the space after the second year, Faustino said.
“We knew we needed a bigger area, so Randy contacted Pastor Dick (Smith) at the Methodist Church,” Melissa Viconovic said. “The church was beyond willing to help support this fun event.”
The township remains a participant, providing the fire truck, hay rides and fire pits, and others donate supplies and their time. The Brookfield Township Historic Commission, which oversees the Brookfield Township Historic District, including the green, the trustees and student volunteers decorated the green and provided the luminaries that adorn the green for Santa’s arrival.
Photo was contributed.
