Hartford Heights VFD's annual Breakfast with Santa gaining popularity

Hartford Heights Volunteer Fire Department trustee Duane Kucera admitted Sunday’s breakfast with Santa event might not be the North Huntingdon department’s most lucrative event, but it is quickly becoming one of its most popular.

The department’s parking lot off Route 30 was jammed, and a line of people waiting to enter the fire hall often stretched down a hallway to the entrance.

“We’re really not here to raise money. It’s more to get people into the Christmas spirit, let the kids get their picture taken with Santa and the Grinch, and play some games,” said Kucera, who also is the department’s financial secretary.

Firefighters in 2018 decided to host a Santa’s breakfast to replace the department’s annual jaunt driving Santa around the township aboard the department’s ladder truck because of safety concerns.

“We no longer had a vehicle with an enclosed exterior cab. We tried driving him around in the actual truck cab, but it just wasn’t the same,” Kucera said.

Sunday’s breakfast was the department’s third annual event after pausing for covid-19 concerns in 2020, he said.

“The last one we had (in 2019), we had about 300 people. But … looking around here today, I bet we surpass 400 people,” Kucera said.

“We certainly don’t make as much as a sub sale or our fish fries,” he said.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for ages 5 to 12. Children 4 and younger eat for free.

Children not only have an opportunity to get photos with Santa and the Grinch, but also play Christmas-themed games, receive a bag of candy and popcorn treats and a couple of small toys, all courtesy of the fire department.

“We made a little money on the last one, but again that’s not what this is about. It’s more for community relations and to allow the children to have a little fun,” he said.

Bryce Michling, 3, who attended with his parents, Chrissy and Jake, couldn’t have been happier after introducing himself to Santa and asking for a Peppa Pig flashlight.

Bryce said he also got to wish Santa a “merry Christmas” as he munched on a popcorn ball.

“Bryce just loves it, and he likes to see the Grinch, too. This is the third time we’ve come here,” Chrissy Michling said.

Sarah Krivansky of North Versailles had to retrieve her 1-year-old daughter, Josie, off Santa’s lap after she became scared. But her son, Jax, 4, toughed it out.

“That’s funny. Josie just loved meeting the Grinch before this,” Sarah Krivansky said with a laugh.

Jax said he hoped Santa would deliver him a teddy bear.

As for Santa, he recommended the kids get plenty of sleep “and go to bed early Christmas Eve.”