MARBLEHEAD — It’s the first week of November and Marbleheadians are already gearing up for Christmas.
Santa Claus is coming to town in four weeks. He will arrive on a lobster boat with buoys, hand painted by parents and children of the town, for him to admire. The family-focused community paint day was orchestrated by Debbie Frost, with the help of studio owners Peyton Pugmire and Stephanie Verdun.
“This is our first year doing it and I thought it would be a great median for art,” said Frost. “I also wanted to find a way to incorporate community engagement with the annual Christmas event.”
The finished buoys will be sealed and tied onto the Lobster Trap Tree aboard Santa’s lobster boat for the 48th Annual Christmas Walk weekend, Nov. 29 to Dec. 2. At $25 a buoy, and one buoy per person, all proceeds went directly to the Christmas Walk’s entertainment fund, in hopes of bringing in more carolers and decorations for one of the town’s most anticipated holiday events, according to Frost.
Frost, also a member of the Chamber of Commerce and owner of LizzyLoo & Friends boutique, recruited Pugmire, her Washington Street “business buddy” to join in on the holiday buoy fun. Pugmire is the owner of five-month-old Creative Spirit Studio where the kid-friendly event was hosted.
“I had just opened when Debbie approached me about it,” said Pugmire. “I was so grateful she asked me.”
Also recruited by Frost and Pugmire was Verdun, a Marblehead native and owner of Out of The Box studio on Atlantic Avenue. Her task was “wrangling” all the artists, or more specifically the groups of two- to eight-year-olds and their parents.
“Today was a lot of fun,” said Verdun. “There was lots of energy, we even had a few parents painting their own buoys. It was a good mix.”
Seven-year-old Henry Lamb and his mother, Holly, took full advantage of the provided paint supplies. They were the last ones left in the studio, making sure their buoys would get approval from Santa Claus during the Christmas Walk.
Holly Lamb said she saw the event posted on Facebook and thought it was a great idea for her and her son. The Christmas Walk is right down the street from their home and one of their favorite events of the year, she said.
“I had so much fun today,” said Henry.
The youngster’s buoy was strawberry-inspired, given he has grown a love for helping his mother plant with the town’s garden project.
Frost said about 25 buoys were completed during the event, and if there were some left over she would invite town residents to an evening paint night. Aside from the kid-painted buoys, there are also 25 painted by local artisans to be hung behind Santa Claus on his lobster boat.
The buoys local artisans are currently hung around Frost’s boutique and will be auctioned off online during the last day of the Christmas Walk. Those who painted buoys during Saturday’s event can pick them up at the Lobster Trap Tree at State Street Wharf at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.
“I hope this event catches on and just gets bigger and bigger,” said Frost. “I’d like to see a lot more community involvement.”
