Southside Baptist Church becomes a Christmas town

During a season that has seen massive parades with attendees lining the streets, some in Sarasota opted for more of a small-town feel on Dec. 15.

Jeanette Cole said the Southside Christmas Town Celebration, now in its sixth year, with an authentic sense of community due to its smaller size. 

Although the venue may have been just one church, there was a large scope of activities to be found. 

"It's perfect. We look forward to it every year," she said. "The maze is the biggest hit when it gets darker."

A few activities attendees could enjoy were visiting with Santa Claus and the Grinch, drinking hot chocolate and s'mores in a small cafe area, visiting Bethlehem for experiences like pottery-making and writing in Hebrew, throwing snowballs, and exploring a maze of Christmas lights.

The effort was led by volunteers from Southside Baptist Church, as well as some from another church called Bedrock Church Sarasota, which is increasingly involved in the event.

"It's really just for us to give our blessing for the community," said Heather Livingston, the event's coordinator. "We don't ask for them to give to the church, we don't ask for anything. It's just for fun. It really is."

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the description of Heather Livingston and the number of past events.