Bay Ridge park turns into Winter Wonderland for a good cause
Julianna and Nicholas Bambina were holding the Christmas ornaments they made by hand at a booth in the Christmas Village as they watched children glide across a skating rink set up on the grass in John Paul Jones Park in Bay Ridge on Dec. 8. “This is so nice for the kids,” their mother, Lori Bambina said as she too enjoyed watching the kids skate.
The Christmas Village and the skating rink were part of a fun-filled event that took place in the park Saturday afternoon. Called “Stuff-A-Bus,” the event, organized by Bliss Entertainment, a Dyker Park-based event planning company, featured Santa Claus, candy canes, games for kids, raffles, and miniature golf.
The event was called “Stuff-A-Bus” because organizers were seeking to literally stuff a yellow school bus with hundreds of toys that would later be donated to charities helping children from underprivileged families, according to David Annarummo, owner of Bliss Entertainment. The bus was parked at the curb outside the entrance to the park. “We’re doing pretty good,” he said, adding that he was pleased with the number of toys that had been donated. Many of the toys would be donated to children whose families have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy, he said.