The Wellington Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce another smashing success. Winterfest 2013 with Vanilla Ice drew record-breaking crowds of more than 5,500 people and thrilled the audience with the best of performers, emcees and many surprises.
Presented by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Equestrian Sport Productions and the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the event provided a lineup of holiday performances, phenomenal food vendors, holiday shopping, business and service vendors, a visit from Santa and snow. Local celebrity musical sensation, philanthropist and Emmy Award-nominated DIY Network television star Vanilla Ice performed his iconic songs “Ice Ice Baby,” “Play that Funky Music” and more to an overflowing crowd. Presenting sponsors Mark and Katherine Bellissimo emceed the event with local celebrity Michaela Paige from The Voice, Chamber President Victor Connor and event chairmen Dr. Randy Laurich and Johnny Meier.
Chaired by Dr. Laurich of the Wellness Experience and Meier of My Community Pharmacy, this event is the most anticipated holiday event of the season. The exceptional hard work and dedication of sponsors, vendors and the professionals at PBIEC allow us to celebrate the success of this event. Bringing a “hometown” element to Winterfest is what makes it so successful. Family friendly events, such as a reading of the ’Twas the Night Before Christmas by Mark Bellissimo, a visit from Santa, a children’s area including carousel rides, face painting, arts and crafts, food trucks and a salute to the troops, allowed participation from children and families to make everyone an integral part of the festivities.
The chamber wishes to thank our sponsors, without whom we could not host such a spectacular event: Equestrian Sport Productions and the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the Wellness Experience, My Community Pharmacy, the Law Offices of Greenstein & Associates, Home Run Real Estate, FPL and W4CY: The Intertainment Network.
A very special thank you to Mark and Katherine Bellissimo, Michael Stone, Vaneli Bojkova, Anne Caroline Valtin and Paul Regal, as well as Councilwoman Anne Gerwig, Craig Young, Fred Roger, Heath Paulson, Nicole Grassi, Ralph Jiminez, Steven Beare, Marcella Mirande-Ketcham, Monica Kallas, Marcia Andrews, Matthew Shoemaker and Winterfest The Magazine advertisers, collaborators and staff, the exceptional art instructors and students who participated in our poster contest, Bill Morosco and Bedonna Flesher.
Our exceptional Winterfest vendors were: Advanced Healthcare of the Palm Beaches, All Natural Always, Blooming with Autism, British Swim School, Chappy’s Food Cart, Cheezezilla, Cobblestone Chiropractic & Wellness, Costco Wholesale, Dr. G’s Weight Loss & Wellness of Wellington, Estate Properties of Palm Beach, the Fair Trade Boutique, Forever Greyhounds, Genbu-Kai Karate, Grand Champions Polo Club, Hurricane Grill & Wings, India Grill & Bar, i9 Sports, Jessie’s Girl, Lively Lights, La Vida Massage, the Law Offices of Greenstein & Associates, My Community Pharmacy, Orange Theory Fitness, Paradise Kettle Corn, Perfect Smile Dentistry, Psychological Wellness Center, Roy’s Ribs, Steam Master, Sunrise Adult Day Care, Sweet Cravings Desert Truck, the UPS Store, Thin Blue Line, Tikiz Shaved Ice and Ice Cream, Three J’s C Cigar Emporium II, Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do, Village Music Wellington, Wellington Christian School, Wellington Greenmarket, the Wellness Experience Wellington, Woof Gang Dog Bakery & Grooming, You Fit Health Club and W4CY: The Intertainment Network.
We were thrilled to once again offer an amazing VIP Food & Wine Festival, boasting the exceptional establishments of A. Alexander Event & Catering, the Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub & Tap Room, the Cookin’ Yogi, India Grill & Bar, Jordan’s Steak Bistro, Madras Catering & Event Productions and Stonewood Grill & Tavern. If you have not yet visited these establishments or utilized their catering services, we strongly encourage you to do so.
Thank you to our VIP Food & Wine Table sponsors: the Law Offices of Alec Domb, Bodis Realty, the Connor Financial Group, Dressage Sport Boots, Effective Solutions, Equestrian Sport Productions, Floridian Community Bank, Four Winds Farm, FPL, Home Run Real Estate, Kathy Foster for County Commission Campaign, McAfee’s Brian Gumbel, Merrill Lynch, Laura L. Hanson CFP, My Community Pharmacy and the Wellness Experience.
Our performers could not have been more phenomenal. Thank you to Michaela Paige, Shauna Sweeney, Alex Shaw, Lexi Luca, Meghan Ritmiller, Lily Forte, Ashley Barnes-Boswell, Daniel Rabinowitz, Cecilia and the Ocoee River Band, Jade Master, Stanley Toussaint, Brooke Galmarini, Wellington Christian School and the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard.
Thank you Scott Campbell from the Village of Wellington and his exceptional volunteers from Wellington, Palm Beach Central High School, Wellington High School, Suncoast High School and Taylor Green.
Vanilla Ice astounds us each year. His spirit of giving and dedication to our community is outstanding. His efforts and those of his team, Frankie and Wes, make this event possible. Each is to be commended and thanked for their generosity and for giving back to Wellington. The chamber is grateful to have the privilege of working with them.
The chamber salutes all the exhibitors, sponsors and our gracious venue host Equestrian Sport Productions for making their contributions to Wellington’s unique lifestyle, its economy and this spectacular event. And to each of you for attending, thank you for being part of this event and for being a part of our community. We look forward to seeing you all next year. Happy holidays!
Michela Perillo-Green, Executive Director, Wellington Chamber of Commerce
