Christmas Village
Carl Bozenski’s Christmas Village - How Christmas Village Was Born
In 1948 Carl Bozenski, Torrington’s Parks and Recreation Supervisor, invited Santa Claus to spend the three weeks before Christmas at Alvord Playground. Along for the trip from the North Pole came Santa’s reindeer and his helpers. Since that time, Santa has returned here each year. He welcomes his guests while seated on an elaborate throne in his tinsel decorated parlor and gives each of the children a toy.
Carl Bozenski was not alone in his dream to keep the spirit of Christmas Village alive. From the Parks and Recreation Commission, Parks and Recreation staff, volunteers, from city officials to representatives of local newspapers and television stations, local merchants, the clubs and fraternal organizations, and from you, the mothers and fathers of "his" kids. But far ahead of them all is this humble and gentle man, Carl Bozenski. He urged them on with his encouragement to continue creating an atmosphere of Christmas Joy for all to treasure.
Carl himself said "I’m just trying to do something good for Torrington because Torrington has always been so darned good to me." Following Mr. Bozenski’s death in October 1986, the Village was renamed "The Carl Bozenski Christmas Village" in his honor.