Winter hayride event collects toys for Melloni foundation and Turning Point
Saturday’s icy winds and rain did nothing to deter people from coming out for the Elf on the Shelf and Winter Hayride at the Old Company Store and Makepeace Farms.
Now in its fifth year, the event collects toys for the Dick Melloni Toy Drive and Turning Point Resource Center. The Bobcat-drawn hayride, face painting by Art on the Spot, hot cocoa, and crafts were all free, as was admission to the event.
“This is the best year we’ve ever had for people and toys," said the Old Company Store's Shari Aussant.
While everything at the event was free of charge, children were encouraged to bring a toy to donate to the toy drive. They obtained "elf badges," some from school, others from the Old Company Store website.
“The whole ride is a gift to them for being a good little helper,” said Aussant. “It’s all about the Dick Melloni Toy Drive and Turning Point.”
The wagons pulled into the store every fifteen minutes, and as the line disappeared, it quickly formed again with a new group of kids and parents bundled up for a ride through the cranberry bogs off of Tihonet Road.
One of Santa’s elves read the book “Elf on the Shelf” aloud as the wagon rolled through the bogs. Elves scampered around, poking their heads out from behind bushes, waving from high up in trees, and chasing after the wagon.
After its cruise through the elf village, the wagon pulled into Makepeace Farms, where kids could watch the "Elf on the Shelf" movie, get hot drinks, and make Christmas ornaments.
“It was adorable, really cute,” said Maria Pierson, who brought her girls out for the hayride. “A lot of elves jumped out of the woods.”
The Old Company Store is a family business, and Aussant’s father John Assad was on-hand for the festivities. He said the spirit of the event harkens back to what some might consider an old-fashioned idea: using the holiday season as an opportunity to help others.
“We grew up in a different time, when Christmas was spiritual and about family and community,” said Assad. “It’s not old-fashioned, it’s what it is. It’s Christmas.”
