11/24/2025
🎄Santa Run Community Update 🎄
Honoring 30 Years of Tradition in the Dutch Fork Community🚒🎅🏽
For three decades, the Annual Santa Run has been one of the most cherished traditions in the Dutch Fork community and one of our favorite ways to connect with the families we serve. Seeing the smiles, waving to excited children, and sharing holiday cheer has been a highlight for our firefighters year after year.
This year, we need to share a tough update.
As our community has grown, so has the Santa route, expanding to more than 60 neighborhoods. Unfortunately, our volunteer team has not been able to grow at the same pace. Several longtime volunteer drivers and members who helped make this special tradition possible have retired, and like many departments across the country, we are facing real challenges with staffing and resources.
To continue this tradition safely and responsibly, we must make logistical adjustments for 2025.
After reviewing turnout, neighborhood sizes, and safety considerations over the last five years, we made the difficult decision to reduce the number of neighborhoods on this year’s route.
✅ What this means:
🎁We focused on larger neighborhoods and areas with the most children.
🎁Some neighborhoods will not be on the route this year.
🎁No community area is being left behind and every family will have a nearby stop to see Santa.
🎁This decision was made carefully, respectfully, and with the goal of keeping this tradition alive.
We understand this may disappoint some, and we don’t take that lightly. This tradition matters deeply to you and to us.
💚 We kindly ask for understanding as we navigate the realities of staffing, resources, and community growth. Our goal is not to cut traditions but to preserve them for the future.
🤝 Want to help bring back more stops next year?
This is a volunteer-led effort, and we would love to welcome more neighbors to serve beside us.
If you’ve ever thought about volunteering,now is the time. The more hands we have, the more streets we can reach.
Santa is coming and we are committed to continuing this tradition as best we can.
We just simply can’t be everywhere at once.
Route details and dates will be released soon.
Thank you, Dutch Fork, for your support, patience, and love for this community.
We can’t wait to see everyone along the route, bells ringing, lights flashing, and holiday spirit shining bright. 🚒🎄✨
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from your Dutch Fork Fire Rescue family.