DANVILLE — Steven Wolf stuffs himself behind the wheel of his Mercury Sable, his red suit and white beard drawing “honks, a couple of waves and jerked heads” as he drives toward Danville as the borough’s newest Kris Kringle.
It’s not long into the first night of the job when a child asks for $1 million — for his parents.
He didn’t say what his mother and father would do with the money, Wolf said.
“I believe the boy’s name was Joshua,” Wolf said after his debut as Kris Kringle for the Danville Business Alliance.
Other children’s requests were somewhat less expensive.
“A lot of girls want ponies and Barbie dolls,” he said. “The boys want video games, trucks, cars and Power Wheels.”
Wolf was recruited by Mary Dinehart, executive assistant of the Danville Business Alliance, who works with him at BJ’s Steak and Rib House on Mill Street.
“It was slow for the first part, picked up a little and was pretty steady,” he said of his first experience at Santa’s Cottage in Canal Park, also on Mill Street.
The park is a new location for the cottage this year.
After hearing children’s wishes, he hands them a candy cane and their parents, Danville Dollars to use in downtown stores.
No one has yanked on his beard.
Yet.
“A lot of kids came around the corner and froze up and didn’t want to go up the steps,” he said of youngsters afraid of the red suit and white beard.
Two or three children cried when they saw him and decided they didn’t want to sit on his lap.
“The last group with a stroller — the baby was fine and didn’t cry,” he said Saturday, sitting in the chair in his cottage with a fireplace and Christmas tree.
He has an electric heater behind him but didn’t turn it on because the suit was plenty warm despite the door to the cottage being open.
Before arriving at the cottage, he walked down Mill Street from the business alliance office and got some stares from people.
After his stint Friday night, he went to BJ’s, where he is a cook and Dinehart is a server.
“I had a table of eight or nine girls asking for world peace,” he said. “I stopped at most of the tables to make sure the kids were eating their food. There were two or three birthday parties going on. I got a lot of requests for puppies — they seemed to be the favorite subject,” said Wolf, whose address is Northumberland when he isn’t at the North Pole.
“A lot of the people wanted to have their pictures taken with me,” he said, adding it was a good way for him to promote his appearances at the cottage.
“I have a few nieces and nephews and I enjoy kids. It’s good to get them laughing,” said Wolf, who receives a small payment from the business alliance.
Santa will be in his cottage from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday; noon to 3 p.m. Saturday; 5 to 8 p.m.
Dec. 17; and noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 18.
Reindeer can be fed and petted at Canal Park from noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 18.
— E-mail comments to kblackledge@dailyitem.com.
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Santa Claus talks about his first night as the jolly elf Saturday while waiting for more children to arrive at his cottage in Danville's Canal Park. Karen Blackledge/The Daily Item
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Santa shares what he hears
Wishes include $1 million, puppies and world peace
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