Lake Mohawk Christmas Market is resounding success

That cold night in early December found the boardwalk at Lake Mohawk crowded with people of all ages, ready to open the Christmas season. Organized by a handful of local volunteers, the Weihnachtsmarkt, or German Christmas Market, drew in hundreds of visitors who enjoyed ticking off special items on their holiday shopping lists. Fifty different vendors sold all kinds of holiday goods, including hand-carved wooden toys, jewelry, art, clothing, baked goods, and even those iconic chainsaw carved wooden bears. Some vendors appealed more to the palate, serving authentic German foods, soups, hot chocolate, and coffee. The Lake Mohawk Country Club sold Gluehwein, a spicy, seasonal German wine, and Bratwurst, a tradition at the Weihnachtsmarkt. The Market Committee covered a huge table in the big tent with all kinds of German fare, including chocolates, stollen (a sweet cake filled with nuts and marzipan), assorted candies, and Advent calendars. Christmas mugs and steins adorned with a scene from the Boardwalk and the Weihnachtsmarkt logo were shopper favorites. Net proceeds from this event, together with sponsor contributions, and vendor fees -totaling $11,200 - were donated at a special afternoon tea at the Lake Mohawk Country Club to these local charities: Sparta Schools/German Department, United Way of Sussex County, Domestic Abuse Services (DASI), First Presbyterian Church Food Pantry, Partnership of Social Services, Meals on Wheels, German Language School of Morris Plains, and Lenape Valley Regional High School. Many thanks to these local businesses that helped sponsor the event: Gold sponsors: Bayer Health Care/Consumer Care, Newton Memorial Hospital, and Eastern Propane Silver sponors: Volvo Rentals, Live Wire Electricians, Magic Touch DJ’s, Alan and Diane Tennenbaum, and Mark Macler Miscellaneous sponsors: Weichert Realty, Kelly & Ward, First Hope Bank, Laddy, Clark & Ryan, Ailish’s Alpine Paint, Sparta Discount Tire, Sparta Eye Associates, Mohawk Tile and Stone, Plaza Barber Shop, Il Porto, Bernd Hefele/Attorney, Frank Wood Interiors, George F. Sweeney, Kroghs Restaurant, Karin Meyer, and Sandra Meyer-Coppede. We hope that these handful of volunteers continue with this event because it brings the community together during the holiday season. Gudrun Rank Sparta