Valerie Cassity
Special to the Sun

The air is getting colder, the leaves are falling from the trees, and the mornings smell of the smoke of wood fires keeping so many Kern Valley homes warm. It must be time for Christmas in Kernville!

Once again, Darlene Randall along with her husband George will coordinate Christmas in Kernville, an annual event that includes an abundantly decorated Christmas Village in Circle Park, several visits from the big man in red, and, most importantly to Darlene Randall, the toy drive that ensures that every child in the Kern Valley gets gifts on Christmas morning. Darlene came from a childhood where there wasn’t a lot of money, so Christmas was about the spirit of love and family togetherness rather than gifts. But, she knows how hard it is for children to not have those presents to open on Christmas morning, so she started the toy drive 10 years ago to make sure that each child feels special. “I’ve always thought that if you light up the town for the little kids, they’ll remember that and think ‘someone did that for me’ and will go on to make a difference when they are grown,” she said.

People stand in line for their chance to meet Santa Claus at Christmas Village in Circle Park during last year’s Christmas in Kernville event. This year’s Christmas in Kernville will take place on Dec. 5.

Darlene has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of the Kern Valley as each year they give so much to ensure that the less fortunate children in our community have a Merry Christmas. People are now donating money in addition to toys, so that anything that isn’t collected in the toy drive can be purchased, mostly for the kids that are too old for toys, but too young to have a Christmas without a special gift. When someone gives Darlene money for the program, she takes off immediately for Walmart or Target. Tim White, owner of Tim’s Auto Glass, along with his son Ryan donate 14 new bicycles each year, and many others have taken up the challenge of giving with zeal.

To decide which children will get the toys collected from the drive, Darlene gets a list from Kernville Elementary School Principal Aileen DeLapp, and this year will deliver toys to almost 100 youngsters on Christmas eve morning. The delivery crew always bring extra toys because the first year, the police received a 911 call from a little boy who said Santa was just across the street delivering toys and he didn’t stop at his home. In addition to the toys for each child, Darlene includes candy and McDonalds gift certificates in each bag. Extra toys are donated to the Family Resource Center and God’s Storehouse.

To set up the decorations in Circle Park, the Randalls rely on their devoted employees, Jeff Bartlett, Toby Bencoma, and Vernie Wilson to ensure that everything is just right according to Darlene’s direction. On Christmas Eve morning, George and his cadre of volunteers, including the Sheriff’s Citizen Volunteer Group, Sheriff’s Dept., Highway Patrol, and other friends help with the delivery. Dave Boyd always goes a week before the delivery to map out the best route, and of course Santa helps to deliver the toys to the excited boys and girls. Darlene has only been able to go on one toy delivery in the entire decade that she has been coordinating this amazing program, but she loved every minute of it. “We went to one small house that had five children and I walked up to the door and got to see the joy light up all of their faces; it was the best feeling in the world,” she remembered, “That’s what Christmas is all about.”

Due to health concerns, this is the last year that the Randalls will be able to coordinate Christmas in Kernville, and this is also the final year that “Big John” will serve as Santa Claus, both big losses to this community. However, dedicated replacements have been found to fill both roles, and we can only hope that the new generation of Kernville Christmas magic-makers will be as special and wonderful as Darlene, George, and John have been throughout the years. “We’ve had a ball doing this; you feel it from your heart,” said George, adding, “The people in this Valley are so giving and we’ve enjoyed every minute.”

The annual Christmas in Kernville Parade of hot rod cars driving around town to pick up the donated toys will take place this Saturday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m., followed by Santa’s first appearance of the year at Christmas Village in Circle Park at 5 p.m. Santa will make subsequent appearances every Saturday and Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. until Christmas. To help make this a Merry Christmas for all, please donate unwrapped toys or new clothing items in the red Christmas containers which can be found throughout the Valley. Help make a difference and embrace the spirit of the season.