An "unscheduled" visit from Father Christmas himself was one of the highlights of the event for the many children in attendance, who each waited in a long line that snaked at length around the room before gleefully taking their turn with Santa.
Some were bashful during their encounter with the bearded Claus, who was not booked for the 2007 edition of the gathering, while others hopped immediately into his lap to pose for photographs.
After relaying their wishes to St. Nick, the children did not have to wait long to see them granted as approximately 700 toys were available for the taking on several large tables at the armory.
While the young Scotland County residents were visibly excited by the prospect of gifts, smiling and hopping up to take a look at what was available, events transpired in a relatively orderly fashion.
The toys were available thanks to the lead-taking NAACP, the Scotland County Sheriff's Department, the City of Laurinburg Police Department, and Laurinburg Mayor Matthew Block, who all donated to the event.
"Everything worked out really well," said Representative Garland Pierce, one of the community members who spearheaded the Winter Wonderland project.
"The kids were well behaved ... and there was a real spirit of cordiality and love," Pierce added.
The children who left early missed out, as a number of the gifts that were left over were distributed to those who stayed.
According to Pierce, the toys that remained after some of the attendees went back for seconds were donated to community organizations.
Attesting to the excitement of the children at the prospect of meeting Santa Claus and receiving gifts, the crowd was overwhelmingly prompt -- arriving even before Pierce.
"The planners did a great job of dispensing information about the event -- when I walked in their were already so many there, which was fantastic to see," he said.
Tony Spaulding, another of the event's planners, was also pleased with the response from the children. Particularly touching, he said, was the notion that a number of the children would likely not have otherwise received gifts for Christmas.
"There are many events like this in the county, and thanks to them (those children less fortunate) won't be left out of the Christmas experience."
The Winter Wonderland opened with a short program which appropriately matched the attention spans of the youthful holiday audience, as Block addressed the assembled group, followed by John Alford (whose scene was stolen by Santa's unannounced appearance) and local storyteller Tyrus Jones.
Jones captivated the audience with his emphatic retelling of the Christmas story.
As the children looked on, absorbed with the narrative, Beatrice Sams, one of the Winter Wonderland's primary organizers, was reminded of an earlier time when families and children all gathered for holidays.
"This experience is going to make a difference in their lives, and knowing that makes you want to continue to do and to continue to reach more and more people," Sams said.
Pierce emphasized the true communal nature of the undertaking, as many area organizations and individuals pitched in to make it a success. Members of the Alpha-Kappa-Alpha sorority, Sgt. McKee of the National Guard Armory and his wife Debbie and Main Street's "Party Spirit" store, which supplied decorations, were among the others Pierce said contributed to the effort.
"Scotland County always steps up the challenges, even in the current economy," Pierce commented, referring to not only the Winter Wonderland, but also to the many other charitable community offerings this holiday season.
"They all worked hard," said Sams, who added Debora Hawkins of the NAACP to the list of integral contributors.
Planners universally agreed that the children were much more orderly this year than last. Spaulding gave credit for that accomplishment to Sams' and Desiree Block's organizational skill.
Spaulding and Sams both said that they expect the event to occur again next year.
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