Jingle Bell Jubilee
Jingle Bell Jubilee
Greater Olean Area Chamber unveils the first of three new events
Pictured: Cherry Creek Holiday Market from a past year, Photo/Jonathan Phillips Photography. GOACC envisions a similar event for the Jingle Bell Jubilee.
OLEAN – Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce’s Event Committee asked the community during summer 2021 what events they feel are missing from the area’s calendar. From the survey, the committee has scheduled two new events for 2022. In February: Frosty Fest; and in May: Magnificent May Mayhem. More information on these two events will be forthcoming next month. In the meantime, another new event is planned for December 3rd and 10th in Lincoln Park, Olean. It’s called the Jingle Bell Jubilee.
The Jingle Bell Jubilee is a holiday event featuring many activities, including a holiday market, carolers, dance groups, wreath creation class, Shop Raffle Drawing, Sips of the Season, make-and-take craft, horse and wagon rides, petting zoo; an inflated snow globe for picture opps, cocoa and cookie crawl, decorate the tree contest, cookie decorating, and even a Rudolph run! Hours for the event are 4:30-9:00pm.
So where did this idea come from? Meme K. Yanetsko, GOACC COO stated, “Rob DeFazio, Associate Dean for Student Life St. Bonaventure University, sent me an email in December 2020 suggesting that we make Lincoln Park a purposeful destination on Fridays and Saturdays from the night of the parade until Christmas. The events committee - with the Board’s blessing - said Go For it! We will take all those ideas above and will present an event that practically twinkles with fairy-tale festiveness."
The pavilion at Lincoln Park will be transformed into a holiday marketplace with vendors galore. Confirmed to date are: Christie’s Boutique, Rusty Rooster, Kelly’s One of A Kind, AnnMarie’s Baklava, The Silver Bells, Burch Custom Woodworks; Studio4East, and Shelby’s Glassware and Gifts. The goal is to feature 20 retailers for both nights.
“We have asked Nick Patrone and the Olean Theatre Workshop to line up carolers and school groups to come down and sing holiday music. We have confirmed Neighborhood School of Dance to perform one of the nights,” added Yanetsko.
The Festival of Trees planned for December 10th invites ten non-profit organizations to come decorate a tree (donated by Miller’s Farm Market and Pleasant Valley Greenhouse) - related back to their organization or just decorated in holiday flair. Each tree will be photographed and then placed online the Chamber’s Facebook page to be auctioned off. Final bids will be tallied on Wednesday, December 15th. The highest bid on each tree will go back to the respective tree decorator, and the winning bidder gets to take home the tree!
GOACC will once again host a Shop Olean Raffle with the proceeds to benefit Santa Claus Lane. This year, GOACC was able to purchase another panel tree similar to the one that is at the Union/State roundabout but about 10 feet smaller. The tree will be placed at the roundabout at the Olean Center Mall. The goal for these funds is to purchase additional panel trees for the balance of the roundabouts (3). Tickets are $25 or 3 for $50 and are available from GOACC volunteers and at the Chamber office.
The cocoa and cookie crawl, scheduled for Dec. 10th, is a family-friendly community event where you pay a small ticket fee, receive an (empty) cookie box, and then go to local businesses along North Union Street and fill the box with cookies.
Rudolph Run is tentatively planned for Dec. 10th as well. It is a 5K with the course to begin from just off downtown, through side streets to come back down North Union Street and end at Lincoln Park.
This event also has many sponsorship opportunities, ranging from Sleigh sponsor to Holiday Melodies sponsor from $200-$500. For more information on these opportunities, please visit the Chamber’s website at https://bit.ly/3b9NM2W.
The Frosty Fest is set for February 5, 2022 from 10:00am-6:00pm and will feature loads of activities for all ages at War Veterans Park - from snow bocce, scavenger hunt, snow volleyball, the city’s largest pancake breakfast to a hot chocolate bar, chili cook-off and even a squirrel plunge. The May event, Magnificent May Mayhem - or the Triple M - is scheduled for May 20, 21, 2022 and will feature a street dance, golf crawl and a tentative wine fest Friday with a regatta, a mountain run, the city’s largest flea market and music fest on Saturday! For more information or questions, please contact GOACC at 716-372-4433 or email santa@oleanny.com.