Santa Claus comes to town early

“Santa Claus” came to town early this year, spending his off-season 4th of July holiday at Arrowhead Campsites in Mariana.
Tallahassee resident Burton Snyder is known across the region for portraying Ol’ St. Nick aboard his decorated golf cart in parades and charity events. He had it stowed in his RV Thursday when he pulled the big rig into the local park. The cart is currently unadored and the reindeer that “pull” it stayed back home in Leon County, but it’s good for getting the Snyders around the park for the weekend.
By the time the holiday is in full swing, he and wife Martha will be joined by five other RV parties who will celebrate together.
Friend Deborah Deese had arrived Thursday, too, and had recommended the park for the gathering.
She and Snyder went to high school together in Tallahassee 30 years ago, but lost touch for decades. Two years ago, they happened to recognize each other at a bike rally 250 miles away in north Georgia. Ever since then, the Snyders, Deborah and husband Mickey have camped together many times.
They decided to stick fairly close to home this weekend, in part because of high gas prices.
This weekend, they plan to tube down Spring Creek into the Chipola River, and get in a few games of ‘holey board,’ a challenge somewhat like horseshoes, but requiring more precise aim. To win points, players have to toss large washers into holes of various sizes which are drilled into a board placed some distance away.
With travelers seen all over town Thursday towing RVs, personal watercraft and other recreational equipment, Marianna seemed a popular destination for many other revelers this the weekend as well.
Arrowhead was filling up quickly, and soon another member of the Snyder party arrived.
Bill Pagel’s black and silver travel trailer is actually a modified motorcycle trailer. It can still carry his bike, but he’s also outfitted it with living quarters and a full bar. The bar is complete with a dart board that Pagel jazzed up with a circular frame he made from an old Harley Davidson motorcycle tire.
Outside the trailer, he had assembled and erected his portable sink to give himself and the rest of the group a more sophisticated set up for their outdoor cooking and clean-up chores.
In addition to tubing with the rest of the group, Pagel also plans to do some fishing this weekend in Merritt’s Mill Pond. He’ll be using a collapsible fishing pole small enough to fit in his motorcycle saddle bags. He said he’s heard stories about the big fish that can be caught in the pond and was anxious to give it a try.