December 5, 2001
Children chow down with Mr. Claus
Hundreds attend fifth annual Breakfast with Santa
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Dressed to the nines, lists primed and ready, one after another the children snuggled with Santa. After telling him a wish or two, they paused for a smile and a photo.
At least that was the plan at the fifth annual Breakfast with Santa held Saturday morning at the City Opera House.
Despite a welcoming smile and abundance of ho-ho-hos, a few tears surfaced now and then from children not sure what to make of jolly old St. Nick.
But with more than 300 children and their parents attending one of the two seatings for breakfast, smiles far outnumbered the tears throughout the morning as the wishes piled up. Mrs. Claus also got into the act, handing out toothbrushes to children as they jumped off of Santa's lap- the better to protect those bright smiles for years to come.
Some children were so happy to see Santa that they couldn't think of anything to request.
"I didn't want everything, I have everything I want," said Kristina Morse, 5, decked out in a velvet dress and thrilled to have won a prize and gotten some rock candy.
While families at the sold out event waited their turn to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, a variety of entertainment awaited them. Volunteers from Traverse City West High School Thespian Society read holiday stories, local musician and businessman Tom Kaufmann played tunes on a piano while a caricature artist sketched portraits of attendees.
Kaufmann also captivated attendees with the musical wire sculptures he created between sets. Using mundane wire and needle-nose pliers, he wound beautiful sculptures using people's names, small Christmas trees and other seasonal decorations.
"They give a combination of tones when you hit them," he said.
Kaufmann got the idea from Tina Tank, a volunteer with the City Opera House Heritage Association, who had seen similar sculptures while on a trip to Canada. He has been making them for just one month and taught himself to do it from her description of the items.
One hurdle he had to overcome before Breakfast with Santa was finding a source of wire. A search on the Internet led him to a website in Mexico, which referred him back to - of all places - Traverse City.
"It took me a week to find out the wire was made right her in Traverse City by Alcotec Wire," Kaufmann said.
Breakfast with Santa may have been about gifts in the eyes of the children, but to volunteers like Tank the morning is really about giving from the community.
From the Girl Scouts and area junior high and high school students who volunteered to the many businesses who donated time, prizes or services, the event shows that the spirit of Santa thrives in Traverse City.
"People are in the spirit of love and our town is a town of genuine givers," Tank said. "There are so many people who know how to give and how to say yes, no one said 'No' to me."
Indeed, the whole morning could have been made to order by members of the City Opera House Heritage Association as the Opera House vibrated with energy young and old.
With fewer than six weeks to go before an extensive $7.5 million renovation begins, the Breakfast with Santa and the upcoming Festival of Trains are the last opportunities for many to enjoy the Opera House for at least 10 months.
"It's always magical to have an event that brings together a very important downtown facility with retail businesses downtown plus area children and families," said Geri Greenspan, executive director of the association. "That's what it is all about: bringing children and families downtown to experience the treasure that is our Opera House."