Angels on Broadway to grace Kissimmee downtown area

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Angels on Broadway to grace Kissimmee downtown area

Around Osceola

Tuesday, 19 October 2010 08:23

Just after the Thanksgiving holiday, one might say that driving on Broadway will be like heaven.
Gracing the the roadway median and lining storefronts will be colorful angel-shaped ornaments, part of the Angels on Broadway – Ornaments on Parade 2010 program, the latest decorative effort steered by the Kissimmee Downtown Business Association.
The large, wooden ornaments purchased by residents and businesses make up the seventh annual event designed to raise money for cancer research and to try to get the community in the holiday mood.
The project, which started in 2004, was brainstormed by Kissimmee City Commissioner Jerry Gemskie, who also serves as the Ornaments on Parade committee chairman.
“The reason I started this was because I didn’t think the city decorated enough downtown,” Gemskie said, with a smile.
The ornaments, all 70 of them, will start to go up after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Over the years, the ornaments have taken different shapes, from Christmas bells to snow globes to Christmas trees. An angel was just another symbol of the holiday season.
“We try to change it each year,” Gemskie said.
The ornaments have already sold out, Gemskie said, which was different from years past. Normally, they would have to be shopped around first to lure potential buyers. But this year. they were a hot item before October, Gemskie said.
“People are requesting the ornaments because they are becoming popular,” Gemskie said.
The process is simple. People have to submit an application with a $60 fee to receive the wooden-cut angel. They can then paint it themselves with acrylic, water or oil-based paint. Or for $250, the association would have the ornament painted by a professional with the holiday theme of the buyer’s choice.
Those with ornaments from years past also could pay $50 to have their ornaments displayed again.
“We should generate $2,500 for cancer research,” Gemskie said.
After New Year’s Day, the top 25 ornaments, as voted by a panel of judges, will be displayed in Kissimmee City Hall.
“It’s the most viewed artwork we have at City Hall,” Gemskie said.
Providing services at cost, Gemskie wanted to thank John Deams, who cuts the wood; Alpha Specialties and Awards, which hangs the ornaments; and Diane Salisbury who handles the forms.