Planning paid off for a successful Hawley Winterfest 2005

By TOM KANE

HAWLEY, PA — You just don’t have 1,500 or more people show up for an event automatically. You have to work at getting impressive results like that, and that’s what the organizers of the 2005 Hawley Three-Day Winterfest did.

Last June, the two co-chairs of the Winterfest, Maura Rottmund, director of the Hawley Public Library, and Jeanne Genzlinger, owner of the Settlers Inn, sat down with a group of volunteers and put together a plan that would bring together a wide spectrum of assets of the Hawley community: the library, the churches, local musicians, local artists, historic home owners, local restaurants, gallery owners, the Ritz Theater, the Dorflinger Glass Museum and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

“We were completely inundated with people and were amazed with the attendance,” Rottmund said. “All our efforts paid off. There were committees of volunteers working in areas like the arts and entertainment, business and retail, house tours, fundraising, publicity and beautification. I believe those who said that on Saturday alone, we had 1,500 people come though the library.”

The unique spirit of cooperation in the community made it possible to add several new events this year to last year’s list: a Victorian house tour, Dorflinger tours, a Hensel photography exhibit, Christmas tree sales, an antique tractor show and three free shuttle buses.

The Winterfest started in 1999 as an ambitious five-day event. Over the next five years, the event was shortened to three days.

The public library was the epicenter of the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 9, 10 and 11. At the library, people decorated gingerbread cookies, posed with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, made clay ornaments, listened to holiday and jazz music and got books signed by local authors.

The Honesdale High School Brass Band walked up and down Main Street serenading the revelers with Christmas music. The Wallenpaupack High School Chorus entertained with traditional carols.

Santa and Mrs. Claus made a second appearance at the Corner Tea House on Church Street on Sunday afternoon.

Rottmund and Gezlinrer and their volunteers planned their work and then worked their plan with enormous success—a perfect formula for 2006.