FSU’s Children’s Literature Centre Hosts 19th Annual Storybook Holiday

The 18th annual Storybook Holiday celebration, hosted by Frostburg State University’s Children’s Literature Centre, will bring its seasonal cheer to downtown Frostburg on Saturday, Dec. 3. The festivities will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end with a showing of “Miracle on 34th Street” at 8 p.m. In case of inclement weather, activities will be held in the Armstrong Insurance garage.

The event welcomes all ages and features a parade, storybook readings and many more family-friendly activities. In addition, attendees will have the chance to meet Santa and children’s book author and illustrator Will Hillenbrand.

The day’s events begin with Breakfast With the Elves from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in Hotel Gunter at 11 W. Main St. Tickets are $8 for children and $12 for adults and will be sold in advance at the hotel.

Following breakfast, elves will compete against one another in the Elf Olympics at the Broadway parking lot from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. After the friendly competition, attendees can head over to the parade kickoff performance in front of Hotel Gunter at the Mountain City Center for the Arts at 10:15 a.m. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. following Run Your Bells Off for Autism, a charity fun run.

Following the parade, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cocoa With the Po-Po will take place at the Frostburg Police Department at 37 S. Broadway. Then, from 11:30 a.m. to noon, the Mountain City Cloggers will perform at the Broadway parking lot. Also beginning at 11:30 a.m., and lasting until 12:30 p.m., Tail Waggin’ Tutors will give storybook readings at the Frostburg Community Library at 65 E. Main St.

Seasonal activities and attractions will be available at City Place at 14 S. Water St. from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., including Elves’ Secret Workshop, Write a Letter to Santa and Photo With an Elf. And don’t forget to vote for Best Elf and drop your ballot in the Best Elf Voting Box.

Other attractions include sticker stops and business specials in the Main Street area. Children can visit the Miniature Railroad Display at 10 Mechanic St., Santa’s House at P.S. Hair Design at 20 S. Broadway and craft vendors in the Armstrong Insurance garage.

Hillenbrand will give a presentation and sign copies of his book, “Santa’s Story,” at the Hotel Gunter from 1 to 2 p.m. The book can be purchased at the presentation, as well as at Main Street Books. Cookie kits will be distributed to each child attending the presentation.

Later, the Jack Frost Neighborhood Snowball Toss will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. throughout residential streets, followed by the Festival of Trees from 6 to 7 p.m. at City Place, which includes the lighting of the trees, a performance by the Arion Band and the arrival of a special visitor.

Storybook Holiday comes to a close at 8 p.m. with a showing of the film “Miracle on 34th Street” at the Palace Theatre at 31 E. Main St. Tickets are $5 a person and are pre-sold at Main Street Books, 2 E. Main St.

In addition to FSU’s Children’s Literature Centre, Storybook Holiday is sponsored by the city of Frostburg, M&T Bank, Somerset Trust Company and Potomac Edison. For more information, contact the Children’s Literature Centre at 301-687-3133 or clc@frostburg.edu, or check the website at www.frostburg.edu/clc. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/clcfsu.

This year, CLC and its elves are bringing a special gift to Frostburg in the form of a television crew that will capture the town’s Christmas celebration for part of a reality series called “Small Town Christmas,” airing on UPtv on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. This is the second season of the docuseries, which pays tribute to small towns that celebrate the holidays in big ways. The show is hosted and executive produced by Megan Alexander, a national correspondent for “Inside Edition” and the author of books that include “The Magic of a Small Town Christmas.” She and her production team will wrap up their season in Frostburg and will be in town in late November and early December to capture Storybook Holiday.

FSU is following CDC guidance based on current area conditions. For current health and safety guidelines, visit www.frostburg.edu/COVID19.