- December 27, 2024
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The Moonlighters, Daytona Beach’s big band led by Joe Mirante, played “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to a large crowd as Mr. and Mrs. Claus strolled onto Rockefeller Gardens' north lawn during the Holidays at The Casements celebration on Thursday, Dec. 16.
The city of Ormond Beach's Department of Leisure Services has been hosting the event for 15 years in collaboration with The Casements Guild. Susan Hansen, a docent of the Guild, was on-hand to give tours and answer questions about the historic house during the event. She has been part of the Guild for seven years and just finished her tenure as president of the organization. She turned over the reins to Linda Powell this year.
“I have passion for the house,” Hansen said. "It’s not just the house, it’s the neighborhood. We really like to be the ambassadors for the neighborhood.”
The symbiotic relationship between Leisure Services and The Casements Guild has propelled the site to the forefront of interest amongst locals and visitors alike.
“It is the best,” Hansen said. “I’ve worked for the government for years. This is the first government-volunteer relationship that is not only collaborative, but we are friends. We visit each other. We know what’s going on in each other’s families, who’s having babies and who is doing this or that.”
People were invited to tour The Casements at 6 p.m., then have a seat outside as they helped themselves to holiday goodie boxes and beverages. The Moonlighters continued to play holiday favorites throughout the night as children recited a list of requests and adults had their pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the gazebo.
“I am a 21-year Ormond Beach resident and have never been to The Casements for this Christmas event,” Linda Gruber said. “I’ve gone to the summer concerts but now I’m going to make a point of going to Casement events.”