Ready or Not, the Holidays are Here!

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By Mary Ann Bourbeau
RED BANK – In keeping with a tradition more than 20 years in the making, Holiday Express will provide the music Friday, Nov. 28, for Red Bank’s annual Town Lighting.
“Red Bank feels like a home game for us,” said Tim McLoone, the restaurateur and musician who founded the charitable organization. “The people there really support us, and the spirit in the air is undeniable. We’ve become a part of their family tradition.”
The celebration begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Red Bank train station, where students from the Kathryn Barnett School of Dance will perform to festive music from the pipes and drums of The Atlantic Watch. Another event will take place in Little Silver, where riders can board the 6:44 p.m. train and ride to Red Bank along with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Once the train arrives in Red Bank, Santa Claus will board a fire truck and lead a parade down Monmouth Street.
“It’s a great way to start off the whole evening,” said Jim Scavone, executive director of the Red Bank RiverCenter. “The kids have a great time.”
The parade ends at Broad and Canal streets, where the Holiday Express concert stage will be set up. The show, which will feature more than 30 area musicians, starts at 7 p.m. and runs until about 8:30 p.m. The Red Bank Fire Department will serve hot chocolate and 94.3 The Point will be on hand with giveaways. News 12 will host a live broadcast of the countdown, when Mayor Pasquale Menna officially lights the street decorations. About 5,000 people attended last year’s event.
“It’s a big crowd for a little town,” McLoone said. “It’s wonderful.”
This holiday season, Red Bank also will offer free horse-drawn carriage rides from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, 13 and 20. There will be a Twelve Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 11.
To kick off Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29, there will be a 9 a.m. Mix and Mingle with Kris Kringle at Carlo’s Bakery, where patrons will get a free tote bag and 20 percent off purchases. Barbizon of Red Bank will liven up downtown store windows from 1 to 4 p. m. Sunday, Nov. 30 with holiday mannequins.
“They are live mannequins,” Scavone said. “It’s very creative and interesting, and fun to watch.”
Pictures with Santa will be available every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. in the Galleria. Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m., traditional carolers, choirs, brass bands, rock, folk, jazz and blues musicians will play holiday tunes at various locations throughout the business district.
Holiday Flavour in Red Bank takes place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4., at the Molly Pitcher Inn. The culinary event features cuisine from more than 20 restaurants, plus drinks, a tree lighting, carolers and prizes. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Parker Family Health Center and the Red Bank Flavour Culinary Alliance.
There will be a holiday open house from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, when participating businesses will offer sales, refreshments and other special events. There will be carolers and live music, and Santa will even be strolling through town taking selfies with people.
Red Bank’s menorah lighting will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the train station. The event will be presented by Rabbi Jeff Sultar of Congregation B’nai Israel of Rumson.
Red Bank’s town lighting is always the first event of the season, and McLoone is proud that Holiday Express is part of that tradition. The volunteer organization delivers music, food, gifts and human kindness to adults and children in need. This year, the organization will perform 70 shows in 43 days. They visit soup kitchens, homeless shelters, AIDS hospices, veterans’ hospitals and long-term residential psychiatric facilities, bringing care packages that include warm clothing, blankets and toiletries. The events include a full meal, dancing, giveaways, face painting and live music.
“I never envisioned that something I started in my garage would ever get this big,” McLoone said. “That’s the beauty of it. It’s truly grass roots and done totally from the heart.”
In 1993, the organization hosted its first event at Saint John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark. McLoone brought a boom box and played holiday tunes while serving the meal.
“It didn’t seem right because I’m a musician,” he said. “I decided the next year I was going to bring a band.”
Holiday Express grew quickly and now has more than 100 musicians and 1,100 children and adult volunteers who work year-round in the organization’s Tinton Falls warehouse. This year, they will pack 25,000 gift bags for the holiday season.
“We make it clear to these people that we care about them,” McLoone said. “They are in the extreme circumstances of human existence, and we just want to make them happy for three or four hours. We try to entertain the heck out of them and let them know that someone out there cares.”
McLoone said it costs $1 million a year to run Holiday Express. Those who want to help the cause can attend a concert on Thursday, Dec. 11, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; a Thursday, Dec. 18 concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank; or make a donation at www.holidayexpress.org.
Additional information about Red Bank holiday events is available by visiting www.acoollittletown.com.
Vibe writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com. 

***ITALVibe writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com.***END