FROSTY DAY to Play Armonk, NY

The homecoming of America's favorite snowman, Frosty, will be celebrated again this year with "Frosty Day" by his hometown of Armonk, New York on Saturday, November 28, the Saturday of the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. This year also commemorates Frosty's 65th Birthday.

Free activities and fun-filled family events will start at 12:00 noon in town; they include miniature train rides around town, a horse-drawn wagon ride through Wampus Brook Park, Main Street musicians, Frosty cartoons at the North Castle Public Library, dancers and performers in Armonk Square, as well as players, singers and clowns throughout downtown Armonk. In addition, marching bands and carolers will accompany families as they visit shops and merchants to get their faces painted, frost holiday cookies, decorate ornaments and trinkets, and make-your-own Frosties to carry in the parade.

The highlight of Frosty Day will be a parade starting at 4:30 p.m. that will go down Main Street, past the "Village Square" mentioned in the song, and then onto Maple Avenue. More than 30 local groups and organizations will participate with floats, lights, dancing, costumes and music to welcome Frosty home. Frosty then invites everyone to become part of the parade and to cross the bridge in Wampus Brook Park to the newly restored gazebo for a gala holiday lighting ceremony, with more music and refreshments.

The Frosty Parade is the only holiday parade in the Tri-State region.

After the holiday lighting, the Main Street Open House of restaurants, merchants and businesses will further welcome in the holidays.

In addition, the Friends of Frosty, Inc., a non-profit group formed to oversee the day's activities and events, will continue its Winter Warmth project, "Help Frosty Help Others." Starting in the fall, it collects clean and gently used winter clothing, such as hats, gloves, scarves, mittens, parkas and coats, for those in need, at several locations around town. Donation jars will also be available for contributions at stores and restaurants.

Last year's Frosty Day saw more than a thousand people from the Tri-State region welcoming Frosty home to Armonk. It was also named one of the "10 Best Things To Do" in Westchester County by the Westchester County Office of Tourism.

During this time of the December holidays, where several religions are featured in civic and educational settings, Frosty the Snowman remains a symbol of the fun and excitement of the winter holiday season.

"Frosty Day is an event that the town looks forward to every year," said Robby Morris, president of the Friends of Frosty. "The whole town comes out for it. Just about every group in town is involved somehow, from the Town of North Castle to the Armonk Chamber of Commerce, from the religious institutions to the schools, from the sports and youth groups to volunteer organizations. It is a great time for everyone to come together and have some fun."

Located in the Town of North Castle, Armonk's Historic District is the "Village Square" mentioned in the song's lyrics where Frosty dared the children to "catch me if you can." The lyricist of the winter holiday classic, Steve Nelson, was a frequent visitor to Armonk after World War II from his home in nearby White Plains, NY. In 1950, he wrote the song's lyrics which he put to Jack Rollins' music; Gene Autry recorded the song that year, making it an instant classic, following his earlier one of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Nelson bought land in Armonk that year on which he would build his home.

In a letter written some 40-plus years later to a friend, Steve Nelson's widow Audrey acknowledged that Armonk was indeed the inspiration for the famous song.

Life-long Armonk resident and town councilwoman Barbara DiGiacinto said, "The traffic cop in the song who hollered 'Stop!' to Frosty was said to be based on the town's former chief of police, John Hergenhan, who just happened to be my uncle."

Steve Nelson lived with his family in Armonk until his death there in 1981. In 1957, "Frosty the Snowman" was recorded again by Perry Como, solidifying it as a perennial song of the season. This success was followed by an animated version in 1969, now seen annually on television.

Judy Gilmartin Willsey, a Main Street business owner and a coordinator of Frosty Day, agreed. "Saturday, November 28 in Armonk, New York promises to be a day full of 'thumpety thump thump.' We hope that everyone will join us in all the free fun."

Please visit the Friends of Frosty Web site at http://www.armonkfrosty.com/

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