Glen Rock Carolers Carry on Tradition for 172nd Year in a Row

By Bridget McMahon, Reporter

The Glen Rock carolers and crowd begin to arrive in the center of town prior to their Christmas Eve tradition. This yearly tradition for the small town brings Christmas spirit to those in attendance.
A little before midnight the carolers gather together in the square. As they do every year at midnight, they wait for the cue to begin singing Christmas carols. They are accompanied by a few different instruments. This kicks off off the 172nd year of this tradition.
The carolers singing their second song while one of the participating carolers holds the lantern to shine light on the sheet music for the instrumentalists. In total there are 122 members who are registered for the carolers.
The townspeople spill up onto the stairs of houses and the bank to get a better look at the carolers or to allow children to see. The ages of registered carolers range from 11 years to 96 years. This makes for a very age-diverse tradition for Glen Rock.
Every Christmas eve people from Glen Rock and neighboring towns come to see the carolers perform. Public safety and security personnel is present throughout the night to keep the public from getting in the way of the carolers and keep spectators safe on the dimly lit streets.
Hundreds of people follow the carolers to the next spot on their route for this year. Here they move to the bridge leading up Valley St.
As the carolers and on-lookers continue up Valley St. it gives them time to talk about their plans for Christmas and more.
Hundreds of people trailing behind the carolers for this small town tradition. Here they continue their route up Valley St., past small neighborhoods, and more.
The carolers, along with hundreds of spectators, walk along Glen Avenue and stop in front of houses along the way. Before the songs start one of the traditionally dressed carolers hands out peanuts to the people listening and watching.
At the end of Glen Avenue, the carolers make their way back to downtown  Glen Rock. The festivities end about 5 o’clock on Christmas morning.