34^th Holiday Extravaganza Spreads Holiday Cheer

Genisys Credit Union and Michigan Works proudly spread holiday cheer as they served as the presenting sponsors for the 34^th Holiday Extravaganza WinterFUN Festival and Parade. This collaborative effort between the communities of Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Waterford, and White Lake provided an entirely free event for families to share together in celebration of the holiday season in the heart of historic Downtown Pontiac.

The WinterFUN Festival featured a variety of activities for children and families to participate in, including: feeding live reindeer, winter arts and crafts, live ice carving demonstrations, wagon rides, a petting zoo, hot chocolate sites, and s‘mores. Again this year, the DIA Away: Think Like an Artist interactive classroom was on-site at the festival. This 53-foot double expandable trailer brought hands-on interactive art experiences to the community. Participants discovered some of the ways artists think and then had the opportunity to try out creative thinking skills at digital and hands-on stations.

The parade, which drew the largest crowd in history and the largest participation to date, featured eight professional floats, four professional balloons, six local high school marching bands, nearly 100 costume characters along with many local community groups. There was also 100% participation from all of the schools in the Pontiac School District.

Congratulations to the Jr. Grand Marshal nominees that represented their communities with pride: Julia Rosander from Auburn Hills, Makaila Potlow from Pontiac, Andre Daniels Jr. from Waterford, and Beth Rybski from White Lake. Also, the Holiday Extravaganza Fran Anderson Making a Difference Scholarship was awarded to Julia Rosander. Best wishes to all of the nominees as they continue to make a difference in their communities.

Also, on display during the Holiday Extravaganza WinterFun Festival was the artwork from the Holiday Art Project, sponsored by Genisys Credit Union. This collection of artwork, created by students from Pontiac High School, was placed in the storefronts of downtown Pontiac for the community to view throughout the holiday season until January 1^st.

Our thanks to all of the sponsors that helped make the 34^th Holiday Extravaganza a success.

The Presenting sponsors were Genisys Credit Union and Michigan Works of Oakland County.

The Platinum sponsors included:

• Advanced Disposal
• CU Link-Michigan Credit Union Network
• Lee Industrial Contracting
• Oakland University
• Oakland County Sheriff’s Department
• The Crofoot
• The Oakland Press
• United Healthcare Services Inc.

The Corporate sponsors included:

• Dobrusin Law Firm
• EGT Printing Solutions
• Lamers Creative
• McLaren Oakland
• Media Network of Waterford
• Ottawa Towers
• Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency
• Star EMS
• The Parade Company
• Ultimate Soccer Arena
• WRIF 101 FM

The Prime sponsors included:

• 7North Saginaw
• Adlers Towing
• Michigan Legacy Credit Union
• Baker College
• Consumers Energy
• CUNA Mutual Group
• DASI Solutions
• Erebus Haunted Attraction
• First Student
• Outfront Media
• The Huttenlocher Group
• ITC Holdings Corp.
• Oakland Community College
• Main Street Oakland County
• Liberty Mutual Insurance
• Little Caesars
• Mad Cow Custom Leather
• Plante Moran
• Sam’s Club
• SMART Transportation
• St. Joseph Mercy Oakland
• STI

The Supporting sponsors included:

• Birmingham Bloomfield Credit Union
• Clarkston State Bank
• Detroit Edison
• Easter Seals of Michigan
• Oddzin Ends

To see more pictures from the 2015 Holiday Extravaganza click here.

This event is held on the first Saturday of December, each year. Genisys encourages you to mark your calendar now for 2016. For more information about the 35^th Holiday Extravaganza, visit www.holidayextravaganza.org.