Dr. Suess’s famous character The Grinch is known to be a cranky, solitary creature who attempts to destroy Christmas for the citizens of Whoville on Christmas Eve.
He got a little bit of an image makeover Friday night in Newhall.
During the holiday celebration at the Newhall Community Center, the Grinch happily greeted children and their families. He welcomed them into the world of Whoville where they could participate in a variety of arts and crafts and holiday fun.
Children of all ages wore Santa Claus hats and Whoville costumes, truly getting into the spirit of Christmas and celebrating with the Newhall community at the center’s final event of the 2023 season.
The center was filled with parents and children participating in raffles and carnival games. There was also music and a live Folklorico performance by the Newhall Community Center students.
“We were just brainstorming one day and we’re like, ‘How about a Whoville theme?’” said Community Services Coordinator Veronica Bayer. “I think today was the last day for a lot of schools before winter break,” therefore their turnout was a huge success.
The Holiday Whoville event had families lining up half an hour before the doors opened. At exactly 6 p.m. when the event officially began, there were families ready to take a picture with Santa Claus and waiting to see if their number was called out during the raffle to win a toy of their choice.
“I just think, you know, people want to come. I think we’re kind people and this is a warm place to come to and people feel safe and really, like maybe like a second home for some people,” said Bayer. During her time at the community center, she has served hundreds of people in the community who come from diverse backgrounds.
The Folklorico performance had children and parents enjoying a small piece of Mexican culture and laughing at the entertaining performance that had a special guest: The Grinch.
The children wore Mexican cultural attire and the Grinch came in to steal a piñata in front of the audience. The Folklorico dancers eventually encouraged the Grinch to dance with them and everyone in the audience clapped and cheered, encouraging the cranky green creature.
“I think its super great that children can participate in family events like this where it’s meant to be a thing for all ages,” said Adolfo Alonzo, a parent attendee. “And it’s free, the kids get to have fun and I get to make some great memories with them.”
Toward the end, the Grinch was receiving a lot of love from community attendees. The event served as a fun celebration for not just the children but also for the parents witnessing their little ones create memories and have large smiles on their faces while they munched on candy canes, drank hot chocolate, and played “Pin the Heart” on the Grinch.
