Safety at heart of Safe Communities Holiday Happy Hour
Pomerene Hospital had three teams at the annual Holmes Wayne Safe Communities event at Walnut Hills on Dec. 3. Local businesses and organizations were invited to bring their favorite nonalcoholic beverages and share the message of promoting a safe holiday season.
A white layer of snow on the outside added to the ambiance of a Christmas celebration while on the inside party-goers were reveling in the nonalcoholic drinks, finger foods, music and fellowship that all went for a good cause during the annual Safe Communities Holiday Happy Hour nonalcohol party on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Walnut Hills Retirement Center in Walnut Creek.
A total of 11 area businesses and organizations joined in the fun, bringing their favorite alcohol-free Christmas drinks to the party along with some decorative sets that were based on the theme, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles: How Will You Get Home for Christmas?”
Airport themes, road construction zones and down-home Christmas sets lined the main meeting area at the Walnut Hills Retirement Center, where patrons were able to mosey through the area and sample all of the drinks.
The teams and the drinks they provided included AloNovus and Caramel Apple Punch, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office with Lawman’s Nectar, Pomerene ER featuring Shirley Temple, a White Baron Hot Chocolate from White’s Law Office, CSB with Cloud Nine, One-Eighty featuring Last Stop, Pomerene IT with The Red Eye, Holmes County General Health District featuring Shirley Temple, Cub Scouts Pack 357 with Simply Holiday Punch, Pomerene Medical/Surgical Unity with Cranberry Fizz and The Cinderella Drink from Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The turnout was ample, and the festive mood made for a winning evening for everyone in attendance.
Event chair Beth McCready took over the reins this year, and she said the evening went as well as she could have hoped.
“This has been a wonderful evening,” McCready said. “We had a great turnout, and the seniors here at Walnut Hills really seem to enjoy the music from the Hiland band and the West Holmes choir. We are very thrilled about the community participation we received this year, from everyone who came to enjoy the evening to all of our donors and our teams who joined us for the evening. It was truly a community effort, and we always appreciate Commercial & Savings Bank for all they do in serving as our main sponsor.”
McCready said having the event at Walnut Hills paved the way for the event to be generational. From the seniors, to the teams, to families and even the Cub Scouts, it was a true family affair that was fun for all ages.
While the drinks, raffle prizes, fellowship and fun of the evening were a big part of the event, the focal point for it all was twofold.
The first was to present a message that while people may gather at homes or at parties throughout the area during the holidays, the combination of alcohol and driving can quickly put a damper on the fun.
“We want people to enjoy the holidays, but the message we want people to hear is that you can enjoy a party without alcohol, and if you do drink, don’t ever get behind the wheel of an automobile,” McCready said. “This night gives people some options to serve some great drinks that don’t contain alcohol.”
The second reason people came together was to show support for the family of Preston Phillips, who passed away earlier this year in an accident.
“This means so much to me and our family to see all of these people coming out to support Preston like this,” said his mother, Misty Clark. “Everyone has put so much time and effort into this, and it is heartwarming to see people come together like this to keep Preston’s memory alive.”
Clark spoke to the crowd near the end of the evening, giving an emotional thanks to everyone who came.
“This has been a very difficult and emotional time,” Clark said, fighting back tears. “I appreciate every single one of you, and Preston would really appreciate this. For anyone who didn’t know him, he was one in a million, and he had a heart of gold. He would help anybody no matter what. He loved everyone, even if you were a stranger.”
McCready said the staff at Walnut Hills, led by Mindy Miller and Paula Miller in particular, did a fantastic job of preparing the facility and hosting the event.
The facility provided plenty of room for patrons to roam the area without being cramped.
“When it is at other locations, it is a little tough for our people to get out and get involved, so that was one of the main things we considered when we talked about hosting the event,” Paula Miller said. “We felt it would be a nice opportunity to get them involved in a fun Christmas experience like this, and watching their reaction to going around and trying the drinks and with all of the music from the choir and band, they really had a fun social time.”
Three area judges were tabbed to judge each of the drinks, tabulate a number based on a specific scoring system and name the top winning drinks for the Judge’s Choice award.
The three judges included Holmes County engineer Chris Young, Millersburg chief of police Matt Shaner and Walnut Hills head dietitian Karen Fleck.
“As always it was not an easy decision, and we had to have some discussion at the end of the night to figure out who would be our choices,” Young said. “It was pretty stiff competition, and all of the drinks were fantastic.”
In the end the judges settled on the team from White Law Office as its winner with Pomerene Hospital taking second and third place with its teams from its IT department and its med/surge team.
The Pomerene med/surge crew, who donned reindeer gear and were heading home for the holidays courtesy of Santa’s sleigh, made it a great night by taking home the People’s Choice award for best themed decorated table while Commercial & Savings Bank’s drink was voted the People’s Choice for the evening.