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Christmas in July at The Fields Assisted living included a pig roast, live music, and even an appearance by Santa Claus.
Herald photo/Dylan Schwartz
REED CITY — The Fields Assisted Living in Reed City held their "Christmas in July" event Friday, July 8, and celebrated with a pig roast, live music, and an appearance from Santa Claus.
Residents and visitors were encouraged to wear their best Christmas outfits or Hawaiian theme clothing. The best-dressed resident won a $20 gift card, and the best-dressed guest won a gift basket containing goods from local shops in the Reed City/Big Rapids community.
Live music was provided by resident Terry Williams, who was also selling his original CDs containing music he wrote.
"We're just really trying to get involved with the community, get people in the building, see what we're all about, and show off some of our open available rooms," administrator Abagale Wyma said.
It's important for Wyma and her staff to instill community values and a tight-knit, small-town feel.
"It's a very family-oriented building. And I like to try to have it feel that way," Wyma said.
With a background in Medicare at a long-term care facility and a team that Wyma described as "rock stars," she feels "very blessed" to be able to give back to the community.
"It's a very tight-knit community. And word of mouth goes a long way in supporting other businesses. We bought a pig to do the pig roast today from one of our employees who also has a small farm in the area. So we want to present that community feel here," Wyma said.
"There are many cooks in the kitchen that wear different hats," Wyma said, referring to the collaborative effort between the residents and staff to make events like this one a success.
"I like to try to involve them while we're planning," Wyma said.
Wyma's favorite thing about what she gets to do is seeing the smiles on residents' faces and their families when they come to visit. Overall, Wyma was pleased with the outcome of the event, considering that she witnessed a resident "devour" the pulled pork from the pig roast, she feels it was a success with the residents too.
The Fields is a 40-room care facility with several rooms they are currently looking to fill.
