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Christmas program livens up Shenandoah chamber breakfast

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SHENANDOAH - The typical breakfast meeting of the Greater Shenandoah Area Chamber of Commerce normally does not include entertainment, but Wednesday's meeting did with Christmas music and fun by a local entertainer.

Wearing a Victorian Era-style custom-made outfit, Leilani Chesonis wowed the chamber members at Shenandoah Senior Living Community, which hosts the chamber meetings every other month, alternating with Ridgeview Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. Shenandoah chamber President Marie Poppoff arranged for the holiday program that she hopes will become an annual tradition.

"Does Marie know how to throw a good party or what?" Chesonis said, her question getting a round of applause for Poppoff.

Chesonis, Mahanoy City, opened her program with "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays," and followed with many classic Christmas songs.

"There's nothing like the coal region Christmas," Chesonis said. "We've got good food like pierogies and kielbasi, and we've got boilo."

The program included audience participation, with some people ringing bells, while others clapped along. When Chesonis sang the Hawaiian Christmas song "Mele Kalikimaka," she had three members of the Shenandoah Valley Student Council - Angelo Maskornick, Clarence Grutza and Nicholas Rusin - participate by wearing grass skirts, paper crowns and fuzzy antlers while doing hula dance movements the best they could do.

Poppoff also became part of the performance, wearing a boa and moving to Chesonis' singing of "Santa Baby."

The program was preceded by an abbreviated chamber business meeting, which began with a prayer by Monsignor Myron Grabowsky and the singing of "Silent Night." Poppoff introduced Monica M. Walborn, the new events planning and coordination director of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.

Poppoff also acknowledged the efforts of volunteer Albert Victor, Shenandoah, in selling candy bars to raise funds for the chamber's Christmas lighting program. In acknowledgment of his selling 170 boxes, which is 8,170 candy bars, Poppoff presented him with a medal of recognition for his efforts. The medal states, "Shenandoah Chamber of Commerce - Outstanding Volunteer 2013 - Albert Victor."

Betty Ann Bugden, chamber secretary and co-chairperson of the Christmas lighting program, thanked everyone who participated in the Santa in Girard Park event Dec. 7. She thanked Shenandoah Community Watch President Gordon Slater for providing the hot chocolate, Jerry Sadusky for the candy canes and the Polish American Fire Company for bringing Santa Claus to the park in a fire truck. There were 15 sponsored lighted trees in the park, the 15th being sponsored by Oravitz Home for Funerals.

Chamber Treasurer Mark Bernardyn, who co-chairs the farmers market project, said this year's market was a success. The money raised with the market goes to the Christmas lighting project. He thanked the Shenandoah Valley cheerleaders for raising $950 for the fund.

Bernardyn said judging for the holiday home decorating contest will be completed on Wednesday and today.

Poppoff said the Shenandoah Rotary Club will distribute blankets to the residents at Ridgeview tonight.


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