Hallsley Grand Illumination
Photos From The 2nd Annual Hallsley Grand Illumination, December 2015.
Some 150 children and adults could hardly contain their holiday spirit amid the glistening tiny houses, decked-out miniature mercantile and scenic scaled-down landscape turned twinkling wonderland for a night in their Chesterfield County neighborhood.
The Dec. 3 event was the second-annual Grand Illumination celebration held at Hallsley at Midlothian, an East West Communities neighborhood known in part for its innovative approaches to drawing residents together for fun, friendship and community spirit.
A team of three men took three days to decorate the neighborhood’s cherished Playhouse Village. They wrapped the playhouses, bridge and trees in lights, and installed new miniature lit trees, garland, wreathes and a family of wooden deer. A bright mailbox stood ready for letters to St. Nick.
“The coolest thing was seeing the kids’ faces and hearing their excitement with the countdown to when the lights go on,” noted Jane Anderson, Hallsley’s residents’ club manager, aka director of fun. “It’s just a happy moment for everyone,” Anderson said. Parents delight in their children’s reactions, “and it’s more intimate (than some other events) because it’s in their own community, creating wonderful memories for their families,” she explained. “It’s truly magical.”
The Grand Illumination kicks off the holiday season in Hallsley and gets residents excited about Santa’s visit the following week, Anderson said. Santa and Mrs. Clause indeed entertained families Dec. 10, during Hallsley’s Toys for Tots collection wrap-up. Anderson estimated that event garnered more than 1,000 gifts to be distributed to other local children by U.S. Marines for Christmas.
Dec. 3 festivities included live Christmas carols, hot chocolate and Christmas cookies, and an appearance by one of Santa’s elves, who greeted children with candy canes and collected their letters for special delivery to Santa.
East West Communities, the developer of Brandermill, Woodlake, and 30 award-winning communities and resorts across the US, is developing Hallsley in Midlothian, Va. East West is a company with more that 40 years of experience and has developed 25 environmentally sensitive, master planned communities with resort-style amenities in Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Click HERE to view holiday photos of the 4th Annual Hallsley Residents USMC Toys For Tots Drive.
