Family fun featured at Grand Island's Light Up the Boulevard

Story and Photos by Alice Gerard

Senior Contributing Writer

This year’s Light Up the Boulevard event, held Dec. 6 at the Grand Island Town Hall parking lot, was “the best ever,” said Eric Fiebelkorn, president of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce. “We had the warmest tent we’d ever had, and probably the most people. It was really great.

“The turnout was excellent, and the vendors were really great. There was plenty of a mix for kids and for older adults to do. Magic shows. A little bit for everybody. There was food. Every year, we hope to make it a little bigger, a little better, and a little more inclusive for everybody.”

The event started with activities in the tent, food vendors, and visits with Santa Claus, before moving outdoors with a parade and tree lighting.

The thing Fiebelkorn said he most enjoyed about Light Up the Boulevard was the “smiles on the kids’ faces.”

For the first time, two of the children’s favorite people to see, Santa Claus and his elf, were in a warm tent, instead of in the town’s gazebo.

“Santa got his own luxury tent,” Fiebelkorn said. “It couldn’t be any better. Santa told me, confidentially, it was better than the North Pole. Those were his words. This pretty much feels like the North Pole, so I think this is his second home. It’s his vacation home.”

One of the vendors at the event was Occasions by Osteria, represented by Director of Operations Shannon Burvid, as well as Brian Mahoney, who was preparing food at the booth.

Burvid said, “We have our housemade pasta e fagioli soup and we have our Nonnie’s meatballs. (Nonnie is) 88 years old, and she makes our meatballs. That’s her recipe.”

Occasions by Osteria is a new banquet facility opening at the site formerly occupied by the Knights of Columbus.

“It’s a good sense of community here,” Burvid said. “It’s a really good experience just to get out there in the community and show who we are and have people meet us face to face.”

Mahoney said, “I’m actually from Grand Island. I’m a member of the Class of ’91, and I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life. So, a passion for food and serving people and just good times.

“I’m looking so forward to (opening the banquet facility). They did a great job on the venue. It’s ready for all occasions: outdoors, patio. We’ve got a nice firepit and fountains, waterfalls. I’m really excited to bring it to this neck of the woods.”

The Island Shoppe was another vendor at the event. JoAnn Ciffa said she made elves for the holiday event.

“Every year, I do a limited edition,” she said. “This year, I did 36 of them. When you purchase an elf from the tree, you get a birth certificate with the certificate number and the birth month and date on it.”

Ciffa said “I felt like an elf in Santa’s workshop when I was making them. I enjoyed it. I already have my ideas for 2026.”

This year’s elven themes included the Buffalo Bills and Spider-Man.

In addition to the elves, Ciffa also designed doggie door stoppers, which resembled gnomes.

“They’re made of bags of beans,” she said. “A doggie doorstop. Aren’t they adorable? It’s so much fun creating them and designing them, the colors, the different yarn. It’s so funny because I made them with a bag of beans.”

Kelly Gast serves as the parade’s emcee.

••••••••

Nearby, a group of singers was offering a selection of Christmas carols. Among the singers were Anthony Borzilleri and Juliana Huber, who are portraying Joseph and Mary in the musical, “Joseph and Mary,” being presented at the Grand Island Cultural Center, formerly St. Stephen historical church.

Borzilleri said, of the event, “I love the Christmas spirit.”

Huber added, “I love that everything’s decorated for the holidays. Everybody’s really happy.”

Both Borzilleri and Huber said they were excited about performing in “Joseph and Mary.”

“It’s such an experience,” Borzilleri said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before in my life. It is such a unique telling of the birth of Jesus.”

Not too far away, Anna, Elsa and Olaf, who traveled all the way from Arondelle Castle to experience Light Up the Boulevard, were greeting visitors of all ages.

“I’m just having so much fun, and I know that it’s very cold, but I love it,” Elsa said.

“It’s so exciting to meet so many new friends and learn more about this kingdom,” Anna said. “I know you have a lot of snow, and Elsa’s used to that. It seems like a perfect place to build a snowman, right?”

Olaf couldn’t speak, but Elsa and Anna spoke for him.

“Olaf’s a little frozen right now,” Anna said. “He can’t speak outside of Arondelle. He uses Elsa’s magic.

“Olaf loves all things warm: hugs, summer, and all things hot. Elsa made him some permafrost so he won’t melt anymore. She uses our permafrost on her ice cream cakes, too, and they last for weeks. Olaf does love being warm. I gave him my permafrost so he can enjoy the warm summer.”