Santa Claus comes to Liberty

Published 7:19 pm Monday, December 24, 2018

Liberty Fire Chief Darrin Trexler and his daughter, Callie, 14, gave motorists quite a surprise of seeing Santa and an elf at the intersection of Stokes Ferry and Liberty roads on Christmas Eve. Trexler took up the longtime tradition of the late Eli Goodman, who died more than 15 years ago. Goodman would dress up as Santa Claus and stand on an island in the middle of the road to give passers-by candy canes. Father and daughter got a few second looks, but many more people stopped to take a candy cane. Trexler was prompted by his wife, Lisa, who remembered Goodman giving out candy canes when she was a child. She bought the Santa suit for Trexler to wear.