A family enjoys the Nov. 26 opening day of Santa’s Magic Forest, located in the Activity Building in Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road, Taylor, which runs weekends through Dec. 18, with proceeds benefiting the Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR – Santa’s Magic Forest, in the Activity Building at Heritage Park through Dec. 18, is poised for family fun while it raises funds for the Fish & Loves Community Food Pantry.
Located at 12111 Pardee Road, admission to the holiday magic is $3, with children 3 and younger free. Photos with Santa or the Grinch, $8, are available from a professional photographer.
Stephanie McNees, executive director of Fish & Loaves, said the city invited Fish & Loaves to join Santa’s Magic Forest in 2010, and they have used it as a fundraiser since then.
“It’s our largest fundraiser for the pantry,” she said. “It takes about 50 to 60 volunteers over 800 hours to set this up, and as you walk through, you’ll see why.”
McNees said that since the beginning of September, a lot of time, care and effort has been put into the tableaus, which use donated items from Hudson window displays and animatronics, Bronner’s and Southland Center.
“All of these displays have so many different power sources and plug-ins,” she said. “They have to rebuild the houses and set up every individual thing on the shelves, and they do an amazing job.”
Visitors Harmony Williamson (second from left), 5, and Hannah Robinson, 7, both of Taylor, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus Nov. 26 at Santa’s Magic Forest, located in the Activity Building in Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road, Taylor, which runs weekends through Dec. 18, with proceeds benefiting the Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry. Professional photos are available for $8 with Santa and Mrs. Claus, or with the Grinch.
McNees said the city built the houses in which the donated display pieces are showcased.
She said she hopes Santa’s Magic Forest will raise $40,000 this season for Fish & Loaves.
“It’s our largest fundraiser, and that pays for two months of food at the pantry,” McNees said. “It will cover thousands of families.”
She said they expect 9,000 to 11,000 attendees each year, and with the venue opening the day after Thanksgiving, it’s a great way to kick off the holiday season.
McNees said that while most of the displays remain the same, new pieces are added whenever someone donates items, such as animatronics.
“This is our first year since the pandemic,” she said. “2019 was the last time the forest was open.”
McNees said it was important to restart the fundraising and family traditions.
“So many people Downriver come here for their picture with Santa, as their family holiday gathering,” she said. “That has been really missed the last two years.”
McNees said she enjoys watching the behind-the-scenes magic occur.
“I was in this building when all of this was packed away and I walked in here thinking ‘How does this happen?’” she said. “Watching it evolve for the last three months has been rewarding, to see the efforts of so many people and the hours they put in to make it look like this is incredible.”
Visitors enjoy the Nov. 26 opening day of Santa’s Magic Forest, located in the Activity Building in Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road, Taylor, which runs weekends through Dec. 18, with proceeds benefiting the Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry.
McNees said Fish & Loaves, 25670 Northline Road, serves seven Downriver communities, and other areas through its partner agencies.
“So, a fundraiser like this is huge,” she said. “This feeds thousands of people who are in need, especially going into the holidays.”
McNees said the colder weather, the holidays and inflation put families who are already struggling under additional stress.
“Something like this that we can provide for fun in the community also helps so many,” she said. “You just can’t beat it.”
McNees said anyone wishing to volunteer or donate to the food pantry can learn more at the Fish & Loaves website, flcfp.org.
“Whether they want to donate online or they want to do a food drive for us, it’s all on there,” she said. “They can support us in a lot of different ways.”
Visitors enjoy the Nov. 26 opening day of Santa’s Magic Forest, located in the Activity Building in Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road, Taylor, which runs weekends through Dec. 18, with proceeds benefiting the Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry.
Volunteer Marion Bolen said she has volunteered at Santa’s Magic Forest for more than a decade.
“It’s important because it helps feed people in seven communities in the area,” she said.
Bolen, who worked at Hudson’s downtown in the executive offices for 38 years, said the holiday window displays were an important part of her holiday memories, and after the downtown store closed in 1983, the displays continued at the larger stores, including Northland Center in Southfield, Summit Place Mall in Pontiac and Oakland Mall in Troy.
“For a number of years, we had a contract with Disney, and so the themes those years were the Disney themes, like Peter Pan and Cinderella,” she said.
Bolen said the first time she saw the Taylor display was very emotional for her.
“I cried, because I recognized all the artwork that is down by Santa that was done by Hudson people,” she said. “It’s brought a lot of good memories back.”
The venue is open 1 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 and 17; 1 to 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and 18; 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 9 and 16; noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 10, and noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Heritage Park Activity Building.
The Grinch is ready to pose for professional photos at Santa’s Magic Forest for $8, located in the Activity Building in Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road, Taylor, which runs weekends through Dec. 18, with proceeds benefiting the Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry.