Parks Department Hosts Winter Wonderland

ST. CLOUD-- Holiday festivities filled a local park on Saturday afternoon.

The St. Cloud Parks and Recreation Department put on its 12th annual Winter Wonderland event at the Lake George Municipal Complex.

An abundance of fun activities awaited, including hayrides, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, cookie decorating, and a medallion hunt. Recreation Programmer Lynn Neumann says the event is good for families.

It’s just a great way to get families out. Have a safe place to celebrate the holiday season that’s affordable for all families. Winter’s hard. There’s only so many places you can go in the winter, so it just gives them another opportunity to get out and have fun and spend some time together.

New this year was a reindeer exhibit which took the place of the former penguin exhibit. Touch-a-Truck returned for its third year. Neumann says the activity is quite popular.

The Touch-a-Truck is kind of a big thing that we’ve tried to grow over the years. We have about 20-25 different vehicles, heavy machinery, big trucks, big rigs, that type of stuff. The kids can climb in, touch, talk to the people that operate them.

The event was part of the three-day celebration leading up to the Winter Nights and Lights Parade downtown.