December forecast: Tons of snow and fun

Riverstone lifestyle director Melanie Rushe is celebrating her first year in the community with a bevy of events and the promise of more to come in 2011.

The holiday festivities begin early in December, with an open-to-the-public Holiday Market set for 6:30-9 p.m. Dec. 7 at 50 Sunset Lane Park, Sugar Land, in Hartford Landing. Vendors will sell a wide selection of gifts, from holiday candles and home décor to fun fashions and accessories. Food and refreshments will add to the enjoyment of the evening. In the spirit of gift giving, guests are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

The fun continues for Riverstone residents a few days later with the Riverstone Winter Wonderland. Approximately 20,000 pounds of snow will be delivered to the community, enough not only for snowball wars, but also sled rides. Little ones can take pictures with Santa that will be printed on-site, and enjoy a trackless train, mini ferris wheel and carousel. Frosty the Snowman and Santa’s elves also are expected to make an appearance. The evening concludes with a showing of Holiday Classics on a huge inflatable screen.

“This year has been amazing,” said Rushe, who started in Riverstone at the beginning of January. “And what a difference a few months can make. We had only a handful of residents at our first event, but more than 1,000 at October’s Trail of Treats festival. In light of increasingly strong response, we have even more activities and events planned for next year.”

Rushe said she is expanding a pet-themed event at Riverstone’s dog park and plans on hosting another 5K race and kayaking event. The social calendar also will include a family adventure day and a movie night at the pool. Several events will be open to the public.

“We’ll have a few surprises thrown in, as well,” Rushe said.