(Facebook/Prince Albert Optimist Club)

By Nigel Maxwell

Festive season

Winter Wonderland returns to Gateway Mall

Nov 29, 2024 | 5:00 PM

For Carol Markling, seeing the excitement on the kids faces is worth the hundreds and hundreds of hours of work that goes into transforming a section of Prince Albert’s Gateway Mall into a winter wonderland.

And that’s why the co-chair of the Prince Albert Optimist Club’s annual holiday exhibit can’t wait to see the doors open on Saturday after the Santa Claus parade.

Last year’s attraction drew between 4,000 and 5,000 people.

“This year we actually set aside three days for school groups as we have in the past, and we are pre-registered for just under 800 kids coming through, just on our school days so it’s pretty exciting,” she said.

(Facebook/ Prince Albert Optimist Club)

Festive season

Winter Wonderland returns to Gateway Mall

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This year marks the Winter Wonderland’s third anniversary and the theme is Cowboy Christmas. There’s also a special nod to Disney’s new Moana movie that was recently released in theatres.

Markling acknowledged this event is the Optimist Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and planning started pretty much the minute last year’s event ended.

Profits raised will help pay for various youth related projects in the community, including playground equipment, local sports teams and the arts. Fortunately, the club is saved some time with set up, as the mall management allows them year round use of the space.

“I mean, kudos to the Gateway mall for for allowing us to stay there and and work you know at our leisure throughout the year so but the amount of hours out that goes into it is I can’t even give you a true number because it’s hundreds and hundreds of hours,” Markling said.

The annual gingerbread house contest is a tasty addition. (Facebook/ PA Optimist Club)

Winter Wonderland runs Fridays, Saturday, Sundays up until Dec. 15. Reflecting on the recent snowfall and colder temperatures, Marklling said she prefers this to the alternative.

“You know when you when you still can see grass and everything else it’s like you know why are we decorating Christmas trees like it doesn’t feel right, but yeah definitely now I mean we’re in pretty much our ninth hour and yeah we are starting to get pumped up to see it to the end,” she said.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

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