The Holidays Are Coming!

Hello, Montclair.  It has been a while since I submitted a written article to you.  But with the holiday season upon us, I thought it would be nice to send out a personal note.  Thanksgiving will be here in four weeks, then Christmas only four weeks after that!  Many of you will be traveling to visit loved ones, or taking advantage of time off from work.  But for those of you staying in the area of Montclair, we have several opportunities to celebrate the season of giving and good cheer. 

February in Montclair is Volunteer Appreciation.  This month, MPOA will recognize volunteers for events, committees, and our hard working, diligent Board of Directors at the Volunteer Appreciation Reception.  The reception will be held on February 27 at the Montclair Country Club from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Look for an invitation to hit your mailbox by Valentine’s Day, February 14.  The R.S.V.P.

Happy New Year to you all!  The holiday season is behind us and I hope you all were able to ring in the New Year with a big bang! 2008 is promising to be a great year already for Montclair.  We have the creation of the new movie nights at the beach to look forward on multiple Friday nights in the summer months, along with resurrecting the Adult Beach Party, tentatively scheduled for late July.  Take a look at the new calendar for next year, dates subject to change based upon entertainment availability.  As always, we are looking for new and more volunteers to help with the events.  It is a great way to get involved in the community, especially if you are new to the area. 

On behalf of the Events Committee of Montclair, I would like to wish all the residents a very happy and successful New Year.  In 2007 many changes took place concerning the planning, organization and marketing of our community events, and more changes are to come this year. Just to mention a few, we introduced the summer movie nights of which we will have 6 in 2008.  We had our first Halloween "Boo Cruze" which proved to be very successful, and this summer we are planning to bring back the Adult Beach Party.

Financially, we have been trying to save money while improving the quality of our events and activities at the same time.  With the help of our Events Director we managed to achieve that goal.  In 2008 we will try to get sponsorship from local businesses in Montclair in order to cover part of the costs associated with the new events that we would like to host.

Greetings and Happy Holidays! ‘Tis that wonderful time of year of great food, family gatherings and gifts!  The Montclair Senior's holiday luncheon will be hosted at the MPOA building on December 13 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.  Come play bingo, partake in the White Elephant gift exchange, and listen to the Forest Park Jazz Ensemble perform holiday music.  For more information on this, please contact Jane Reuben at 703/583-8331.  Please reserve a space by calling MPOA at 703/670-6187, now until December 7.  Space is limited for this event.  

Be sure to catch Santa's Ride and the Holiday Caroling on December 15.  Mark your calendars so you and your family can catch the special treats Santa will pass out from the fire truck, beginning at 9:00 a.m.  Later in the evening at 6:00 p.m. at Dolphin Beach, Santa will be by the big bonfire helping lead carols along with passing out hot chocolate and cookies.  You don't want to miss out on these great holiday activities for your whole family!

Whimsical
2^nd Place:
John Bugg
4408 Boxwood Drive

Colonial
Nancy Therriault
5105 Willow Oak Place

I would like to thank those that helped make our new Halloween events successful! A special thanks to the Iwanicki family for allowing us to use all of their awesome Halloween props for the ‘Boo Cruze' at Kids Dominion! Click here to view pictures from the event. Next year we look forward to adding more special effects! I hope everyone is getting excited about Thanksgiving at the end of this month. Be safe in your travels, and if you have family coming to see you, I hope you have a great Turkey Day!

Looking ahead to December, I encourage everyone to participate in the Holiday House Decorating Contest. Applications will be available on the MPOA website or at the MPOA office starting November 26. Judging will take place December 14 and the winner will be announced December 15. The Montclair Senior's will be having their Holiday Luncheon on December 13 at the MPOA building. If you would like to attend, please contact MPOA and make your reservations by December 7. Also, make sure to add Santa's Ride to your calendar, when Saint Nick will ride through Montclair on the Dumfries/Triangle fire truck, followed by Holiday Caroling and hot chocolate at Dolphin Beach. All the fun happens on December 15.