Ridgites headed to St. Anselm’s school last weekend for the annual Winter Wonderland festival, which featured a visit from Santa, “Nutcracker” performances from the Bay Ridge Ballet troupe, arts, crafts, games, and a bouncy house.
One Ridge mom said the event offered the perfect excuse for her and her boys to get out of the house and get into the holiday spirit — and, of course, to pay a visit to Santa in the process.
“We went to go visit Santa and write a letter to Santa,” said Mireille Sophocleous of her kids, 5-year-old Andy and 2-year-old Nicholas. “We were locked up in the house with snow the day before.”
The Bay Ridge Ballet’s “Nutcracker” dancers performed scenes from the ballet before their Dec. 17 production at Our Lady of Angels Church. And vendors also had the chance to show off their homemade goods and attract a bevy of new local business. One Ridge-based small business owner who sold ornaments at the event said it was a smashing success for her.
“The event went really well, we had a lot of business,” said Alyssa Conigliaro of the Brooklyn Ornament Company.
Conigliaro makes homemade ornaments year-round out of her Ridge home and sold the glass works of art for $6–$15 at the Saint Anselm’s event. Her best seller, she said, was a clear glass bulb filled with Swarovski crystals, fake snow, and snowmen.