Community Corner
Santa Claus Makes Summer Stop in Warminster
263 Marketplace hosted a Christmas in July themed car and bike show on Saturday to benefit Toys for Tots and other local charities.
With temperatures hovering in the 80s this week, residents of Warminster and surrounding townships attempted to cool down at the Christmas in July car and motorcycle show in Warminster on Saturday.
The event at the 263 Marketplace went from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured a car and motorcycle show, face painting, a multitude of charitable organizations, a moon bounce and slide, and special guests – Santa Claus and Scruff McGruff the crime fighting dog.
The event was primarily set up by organizers to benefit Toys for Tots – a charity run by the US Marine Corps that has been giving toys to needy children since it was founded in 1947 in Los Angeles.
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“This is for the children,” said event organizer and owner of Destination Gina’s Sports and Safety Apparel, Gina Creighton.
Creighton said that car shows were a frequent attraction to the marketplace and that she thought “it would be nice to have Toys for Tots come out.”
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Other charities included Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Bikers Against Child Abuse, and Concern – an organization that helps abused, neglected, and delinquent children.
Planning for the event took about a month, Creighton said, with hopes to have similar events in the future.
With a few hundred attending the show, the general public response was a relatively positive one.
Christen Voit of Hulmeville and her children enjoyed the festivities as her father, Chic Voit, displayed his 1946 Chevy Pannel truck in the large parking lot.
Alongside Chic were dozens of other classic automobiles that had been restored for the show on Saturday.
263 Marketplace, formerly Waterloo Gardens, is a market made up of 65 local vendors providing anything from food to apparel to antiques.
“The shops are great,” Christen said. “I would definitely come back.”
Open to the public on weekends, the marketplace has been growing in local popularity since it opened in November of last year.
“It’s nice,” said Hatboro resident Anne Taylor. “It’s different than what I thought it would be, but in a good way.”
