A 39-year tradition of The Graham Companies is the Festival of Lights, a free party for the public that is held on Main Street to kick off the holiday season.
So it was fitting that members of the fifth generation of the town’s founding family -- cousins William Rechichi, 10, and Graham Allen, 3, -- flicked a big switch to light up the street.
This year’s event, co-produced by the Main Street Merchants, was bigger and brighter, with new blue and white ornaments dangling from trees and big, open gift boxes to stand beneath and take photos.
The crowd, with many families enjoying the fun, seemed bigger, too.
Kids wrote letters to Santa, made Christmas ornaments and posed for photos with St. Nick. They snacked on popcorn from CMX Cinemas and got sticky from cotton candy, too.
On two stages, young students from Miami Lakes K-8 Center and Bob Graham Education Center acted and sang, while Quest Martial Arts Academy’s athletes demonstrated skills that included splitting wood boards with their feet.
My Gym Miami Lakes’ Dancers with infants in little striped elf costumes performed, as did the Arts for Autism troupe and GiGi’s Dance Academy. Proud parents and grandparents captured the moments on their cellphones.
Tables staffed by Neighbors4Neighbors and Giving Gators were piled high with unwrapped toys donated by festivalgoers. Storefronts were painted with polar bears, snowflakes and Santas in an old-fashioned style.
“It’s very family-oriented,” said Vicky Medina-Francois of Miramar. She and her husband Godfrey Francois watched their daughters Gianna, 4, and Giselle, 2.5, who belong to My Gym Miami Lakes, perform with the Dancers while wearing brown and white deer ballet costumes, complete with little antlers. “It’s very nice to walk around.”
Miami-Dade Commissioner Sen. René Garcia presented a proclamation thanking the Graham family to Stu Wyllie, president and chief executive officer of The Graham Companies.
Councilman Josh Dieguez, who would be voted Miami Lakes Mayor-elect a few days later, and Councilmen Ray Garcia and Steven Herzberg joined them on stage.
In addition to The Graham Companies, Neighbors4Neighbors and Giving Gators, sponsors included the Main Street Merchants; Clear Channel Outdoor; HDS Companies, Miami-Dade County and The Miami Laker.