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Town Is Aswarm With Santas
Monday, December 3, 2001
By Michael Scarcella
Sun Staff

"It's taking down a tradition," said 12-year-old Zak A. Kahn of Kensington. "Jewish people don't have to come. I'm Jewish. But this is such a joyous time."

KENSINGTON, Maryland -- The Baltimore Sun
Santa Claus wasn't on the official guest list. But about 50 of his impersonators showed up as this Washington suburb -- whose officials did not invite the bearded guy to its festivities -- held its annual holiday tree-lighting yesterday.

Hundreds of people, and a few apparent grinches basking in an accompanying media frenzy, turned it all into a raucous and at times un-Christmaslike affair for the 1,700 residents of the Montgomery County town.

Santa wasn't invited, thanks to a unanimous vote Oct. 29 by the four-member Town council to exclude him because some residents -- two families, said Mayor Lynn Raufaste -- found the symbolism offensive and the town wanted to focus more on patriotism and the uniformed "heroes" who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Fueled by broadcast reports and talk show ridicule over the past week, the town received enormous publicity across the nation and likely its biggest tree-lighting turnout -- of Santas, residents and protesters.
(More: SunSpot.net News Source)
2001 © The Baltimore Sun.

Dan