'Christmas in Guyasuta' offers sleigh rides, visits with masked Santa
With its wooded trails and countless twinkling lights, Camp Guyasuta is welcoming guests to kick off the holiday season in the ultimate winter wonderland setting.
The second annual “Christmas in Guyasuta” event will be Nov. 28 at the O’Hara campus, accessed off 23rd Street in Sharpsburg.
The family event is for all ages and will last from 4 to 9 p.m. The cost is $10 per person by Nov. 26 or $15 at the door.
Guests will be driven through the light display on a trolley or sleigh, Camp Ranger Mike Daniher said.
“Kids can write letters to Santa, visit with him and do a craft,” Daniher said. “There will be games, a bonfire and a climbing wall.”
Everyone must wear a mask — even Santa.
Daniher said covid-19 safety precautions will be followed throughout the event. That includes all guests checking their temperature at the gate and receiving hand sanitizer prior to talking with Santa, who will apply sanitizer between guests as well.
Parents will have a choice to have children sit on a bench in front of Santa or near him, but masks will remain on.
“(Masks) will be permitted to be removed for the picture only and immediately put back on,” Daniher said.
Craft and food vendors will line the path, all while keeping socially distant.
Daniher said this year’s festivity is bigger and better than before.
Visitors will be dazzled by a slew of homemade Gingerbread Houses on display by local Scout troops, packs and dens.
Volunteers having been working like elves, he said, decorating the 175-acre campgrounds.
It takes about a month to install the decorations, scattered through the trails and at other photo-worthy locations.
“The camp is magical on this evening with the displays and activities,” volunteer Lou Flores said.
It has been tradition to decorate the camp for more than two decades, but it was only last year that the staff decided to open it for a community fundraiser. Volunteer George Shaffer said that seeing families engage in the fun is worth the prep work.
Among all the events hosted at camp through the year, Daniher said this one ranks at the top for him.
“This is one of my favorites, as I enjoy families visiting Santa and having a fun evening doing activities throughout the camp,” he said.
Reserve a spot at campguyasuta.org.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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