4 minute read
Ho Ho Ho - 94 Years of Rotary Santa
Now in its 94th year, Coronado Rotary Santas will be returning to Coronado homes on Christmas Eve to deliver presents to local boys and girls. Lew Barnum wrote up the classic story in Coronado Lifestyles Magazine in 2005 of an early 1960s Coronado Rotary Santa delivering a real-life, fourlegged pony to a “shocked, surprised, awestruck, and thrilled” six-year-old boy by the name of Jimmy Cahill. For decades prior to this one-of-a-kind pony delivery tale, and for all the years since then, there have been thousands of stories of children being thrilled on Christmas Eve when Santa and his elves arrive at Coronado homes.
Lew Barnum (1937 – 2017) was the driving force of the Coronado Rotary Santa Program for many years. His written description of the program included, “I’ve been a Rotary Santa since I joined the club back in 1973, and now, with my white hair, all I need is the beard. To me, the Coronado Rotary Santa program represents the essence of Rotary: a combination of community service, youth service, and goodwill.”
There are more than 35,000 Rotary Clubs in the world, and as far as we know, Coronado is the only club with a Christmas Eve Santa Program deploying multiple Santas and their elves to local residences. There are a number of magazine and newspaper articles that provide a smattering of clues to the origins of the program. The earliest reference is from The Coronado Eagle & Journal, Volume XVII, Number 51, dated December 18, 1929. The Coronado Rotary Club was in only its third year of existence at that time, and the article describes the Rotary Club’s sponsorship of “the beautiful Silver Fir Christmas tree and the Christmas Eve Program” held at Isabella and Orange Avenues, what is now Rotary Park. This article goes on to describe how “Santa will bring a small box of candy to all small children appearing by the tree between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve.” In this article is the oldest written clue describing Coronado’s unique program of residential deliveries: “After seven o’clock, however, Santa’s movements are to be secret as he visits the homes of the community.”
Reading through the various historical articles is enlightening. Of note, the Silver Fir Christmas Tree (referenced above) was replaced by a Star Pine that was donated by local Coronadan, Emily T. Thompson, widow of Rotarian Charles Thompson, in 1936. Moreover, there have been as many as 250 residential deliveries made by up to 20 Santas going out all at one time on Christmas Eve. Organizations that have been involved with Coronado Rotary have included the Fire Department, the Police Department, the Boy Scouts, Chase Bank and a large number of individual volunteers. There are many Coronado families with three or more generations of Rotary Christmas Eve stories of their own to tell, but of course, it will be hard to top the pony story.
This year, Santa Claus returns for the 94th year of traditional visits to Coronado homes on Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, to deliver presents to local girls and boys from 5 to 7 p.m.
Assisted by members of the Rotary Club of Coronado, Chase Bank, and the Coronado Fire Department, Jolly Old St. Nicholas asks parents, grandparents, or guardians to drop their presents off at Chase Bank, 1000 Orange Avenue, beginning Tuesday, December 19 through Friday, December 22. The presents may be dropped during the hours of noon to 5 p.m. The elves are only receiving the presents dropped off at Chase Bank.
A reminder to all the giftgivers out there: the presents must be gift-wrapped and have the child’s first name, phone number, and address clearly marked on the outside. All presents will be logged in by the Rotary elves to ensure no one is left out on Christmas Eve.
Ho Ho Ho ...
Here Comes Santa Claus!
