Santa comes back to check his list

The Valley Service Organization (VSO) is hosting Winter Wonderland on Dec. 5 at the Platte Valley Community Center PVCC and VSO President Kate Sherrod said that, like always, attendees have a lot to look forward to.

"This is one-on-one contact with Santa Claus, and I have it on good authority that we're his favorite place to come visit before Christmas," Sherrod said.

For the last several years, Winter Wonderland has taken place on the same Saturday as the Lighted Christmas Parade.

Sherrod said that after the parade is over, "everyone needs to come on down to the Community Center." VSO began decorating on Monday.

Those in attendance can look forward to the VSO's "Chili for 300" and hot dogs, as well as a variety of cookies. According to Sherrod, Winter Wonderland is a great place for people to warm up, visit Santa and enjoy the decorations. Because some of the items are left over from the Festival of Trees the day before, the decorations are different every year, Sherrod said.

Winter Wonderland begins at around 6 p.m., and Santa Claus will be there until the last kid has sat on his lap. This event is a community service project for the VSO with help from the PVCC, Sherrod said. "It's something we have done for years. We used to do it out at Veterans Island ... it's very hard to keep warm out there. It was very magical and beautiful but it was cold."

Cookbooks that include the recipe for the famed "Chili for 300" should be shipping on Dec. 16, Sherrod said, and they will be available for purchase at Bridge Street Bargains.