Home For The Holidays

Westwood- Home for the Holidays, the traditional start to the Holiday season in the Pascack Valley, will be held Saturday, December 3rd, 2011.The Parade begins at 6pm, and the theme is Hometown Holiday. This years parade will feature marching bands, fantastic floats, holiday characters and of course, Santa on engine 14. After arriving in Veterans Park, the tree and candles will be lit and stores and restaurants along the avenue will be providing free samples, cookies, hot chocolate, cider and live music.
Originally started by the Westwood Fire Department, the earliest involvement of the Westwood Chamber of Commerce dates to 1967. That year Santa arrived on a “lavish float” provided by triple S blue stamps after visiting sick children at Pascack Valley Hospital. The current version of the parade and Holiday open houses dates to 1990 making this the 21st annual home for the Holidays celebration.
The day begins early with the final touches on floats and costumes and the marking of the parade line up. There will be a story hour at the Library with Mrs. Claus, street entertainment with stilt walkers, magicians and face painters, music and dj’s with plenty of free hot chocolate and popcorn. Last year there were over 60 participants and a crowd estimated at 8000. The real focus of the parade is always on the children, ages 1 – 95 who hold the season in their heart. There will be various toy drives set up in front of the Iron Horse so please bring an unwrapped gift or gift card and say hello to Uncle Lee who has always been the driving force of this wonderful event.