The City of Tallahassee officially went into holiday mode Saturday (12/3) night. The 30th Annual Winterfest brought more than 100,000 people to the city's downtown.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum remarked Winterfest's crowd-drawing power is now second only to Springtime Tallahassee.
"Going from a festival of a humble 4,000 people participating in its inaugural year to now over 150,000 expected," he marveled.
City Commissioner Curtis Richardson noted the event was begun by two predecessors who both died fairly recently.
"We certainly want to acknowledge the late Commissioner Steve Meisburg and the late Commissioner Betty Harley for their vision in establishing this event for Tallahassee," Richardson said.
This year's Winterfest Grand Marshall, two-time World Series Winner David Ross.
"It's a great place to raise a family and for me it's everything," said Ross who was catcher for both the World Champion Chicago Cubs this year and Boston Red Sox the year before. "I've lived in a lot of great cities, but being here is a special place and that's why I call it home."
Highlights of the event included the popular Jingle Bell Run and Winter Festival Parade.
