Rain dampened holiday spirits somewhat this weekend -- Punta Gorda's Christmas Parade and the Lighted Boat Parade were cancelled. But heavy morning rains didn't stop civic organizations, businesses, churches and others from delivering their giant holiday card replicas to Gilchrist Park where a crew of Kiwanis and Mission Unity members dug holes, drilled posts and lifted the cards to align the lane in the park.
Kiwanis and Mission Unity arrived early Saturday morning as cards began to arrive at the park. Undeterred by the rain storm, Punta Gorda Civic Association representatives waited in the park from 7 a.m. hoping to get a good position for their over sized card . Soon thereafter pickups, vans and SUVs began arriving delivering the creations of their organizations, many of which had been worked on for several months.
Cards run the gamut from simple artistic designs or paintings with holiday messages to elaborate works with blinking lights and other ornamentation. Some were developed by professional sign or design companies, others by local professional artists, others by children or community groups working together. Humorous cards, like one from Burnt Store Grille which shows a waitress getting a stocking full of gifts as a tip from Santa, are among the highlights of this year's lane.
Christmas Card Lane is an annual project sponsored by the Punta Gorda Kiwanis, their holiday gift to the community. They will be displayed in Gilchrist Park until after the New Year's. View the slide show below to see some of this year's entries, better yet, to get the full impact, head down to the park and drive or walk through the lane.
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