Above: Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus ring in the holiday season at last year’s Holiday Express Town Lighting ceremony in Red Bank. Below: Tim McLoone sings. Santa Claus will make his grand return to Broad Street on Nov. 28 when Red Bank holds its annual lighting ceremony, made all the more magical by the annual Holiday Express concert.
The all-volunteer troupe of musicians kicks off its own holiday season with the Red Bank concert each year. Holiday Express has traveled throughout the tri-state area delivering music, entertainment, food, gifts and financial support to those who most need the warmth of human kindness.
But according to the nonprofit’s founder, Tim McLoone, performing in Red Bank feels “like doing a home game.”
“The people really love us, and it’s a wonderful feeling just to see the streets fill up,” McLoone said. “I don’t know how many thousands come. I’ve heard as much as 7,000 people. It fills up Broad Street all the way back to Front Street, really. … Red Bank is just a cool little town. It’s the mix of the arts and the retail and entertainment and restaurants. It’s a unique mix, and it’s cosmopolitan enough, but it has a real good hometown feel to it.”
FILE PHOTOS More than 1,500 volunteers, including 100 musicians, help to make each Holiday Express event an unforgettable occasion for all who attend. Three volunteers in particular — Santa, Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch — are present at each event.
Each year also brings a new “parody” song, which presents the opportunity for Holiday Express performers to turn a wellknown hit into a Christmas jam.
“Last year, we debuted ‘I Gotta Feeling’ [by the Black Eyed Peas],” McLoone said. “We changed all the lyrics so that it was more Santa-like. At the end of ‘I Gotta Feeling,’ it counts down the days — ‘Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.’ We did, ‘Dasher, Dancer, Donner and Blitzen,’ just putting holiday words into the song.”
As for this year’s parody song, McLoone is keeping his lips sealed.
“I’m not telling,” he said. “All we can say is that we’re going to surprise [the crowd]. … We don’t divulge what it is until we do it.”
McLoone acknowledged the generosity of the borough in permitting Holiday Express to take over Broad Street on the day after Thanksgiving.
“That’s the historical Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. … We are always appreciative of the fact that they let us do that, and we hope that the value of bringing all those thousands to Red Bank outweighs the inconvenience of them really not being as available for shopping on that day as they would probably like to be.” This year, Red Bank is just one of Holiday Express’ record 68 stops. McLoone said that by 2017 — when the organization celebrates its 25th year — he hopes to have Holiday Express make appearances at 100 venues, which include soup kitchens and hospitals.
As the organization grows, McLoone said it would remain rooted in the New Jersey area. There was a time when the group had thoughts of going nationwide.
“But I think we found a certain comfort in just doing what we do and doing it here, mostly in New Jersey,” McLoone said. “There are other groups around the country that have emulated what we do.
“But we decided against trying to kind of franchise it, because it’s just a really specific phenomenon that happened here — I think because of the generosity of the musicians and the other volunteers who are willing to come along with us and make these events really happen.” The Red Bank Town Lighting and Concert will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 28.
Additional Holiday Express events in the area include the Holiday Express Christmas Spectacular Benefit Concert on Dec. 11 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, and the Holiday Express Benefit Concert at Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre on Dec. 18. Both events will have special guest appearances by Ben E. King.
For more information, visit holidayexpress.org or call 732-544-8010.