Santa arrived by helicopter in 1958 to begin Amsterdam’s Christmas Festival, an event promoted by Democratic Mayor Thomas F. Gregg.
Santa’s copter landed in Lurie’s department store’s downtown parking lot. He was taken on a National Guard armored personnel carrier to what was then Coessen’s Park in the city’s East End.
A Christmas village had been built at the park and the right jolly old elf took up residence in Santa’s workshop.
Mayor Gregg said a Christmas Festival was one of his dreams to make Amsterdam special.
An organ played by an animated Santa provided holiday music.
Attractions included a life-sized Nativity scene, a miniature fire truck to give youngsters rides around the village, a cafeteria and, of course, Santa’s reindeer.
The reindeer actually were eight English fallow deer rented from Catskill Game Farm. The Game Farm also provided eight sheep, six llamas and several donkeys. Closed in 2006 Catskill Game Farm once was one of the largest private zoos in America.
Many city businesses and organizations made financial contributions to the Christmas Festival. Mohawk Carpets employee association cancelled its annual kiddies party that year and made a large donation.
An estimated 35 to 40 thousand people attended the festival. The Recorder reported that some thought the festival was the best thing to happen in Amsterdam in several years.
Mayor Gregg said he hoped the event would be even bigger in 1959.
The festivities ended 1958 with a $2200 deficit, about $29,000 today.
The Recorder wrote as the end of 1959 approached that “time is running out on the festival.”
The Amsterdam Junior Chamber of Commerce put up some holiday decorations at Coessen’s Park in 1959 but there was no festival.
Mayor Gregg failed to win reelection in 1959. Gregg lived on Evelyn Avenue and operated a downtown butcher shop on Railroad Street. He also was a car salesman for Hosner Motor. He died in 1963 from heart disease. He was survived by his wife Helen Gregg.
Gregg was an Amsterdam native who served four years as Ward 6 Alderman and two years as Mayor.
During Gregg’s administration Route 30 on the South Side was rebuilt, one of the first steps in urban renewal.
Current Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti, a local historian, provided this information on Gregg, “I learned a bit about the guy when I wrote a blog post about the late Joe Jacobs a few years back.
“Jacobs ran for Mayor of Amsterdam three times unsuccessfully. The second time was in 1955 when he lost a Democratic Primary to Gregg who went on to unseat Republican incumbent [mayor] Frank Martuscello the following November. Then, after Gregg's Common Council approved an extension of the Mayor's term of office to four years, Jacobs surprised everyone by challenging and defeating the incumbent in the 1959 Democratic primary.
“When Gregg than tried to run as a candidate of the Progressive Party, Jacobs challenged the validity of his petitions in court and got them thrown out. But the acrimony split the party, and Martuscello recaptured City Hall when Gregg's supporters went his way instead of Jacobs, who lost by more than 3,000 votes.”
One major remnant of the 1958 Christmas Festival still remains. A large lighted sign proclaiming Seasons Greetings was part of the event and the sign was later displayed in front of City Hall.
A few years back the sign was found in the City Hall carriage house.
After extensive work by retired engineer Jerry Snyder and other volunteers from Historic Amsterdam League, the sign is usable again.
Snyder says the sign is now in front of City Hall on Church Street for the 2023 holiday season.