from staff
Three simultaneous holiday open houses Thursday night drew a big crowd to City Hall.
Mayor John Peyton held his annual open house in the atrium and two of the first-floor meeting rooms. Aimed primarily at kids, the open house featured plenty of sweet treats and drinks, face painting and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Kids also got to make their own stockings and bookmarks or take a horse-drawn carriage ride around City Hall. Peyton also posed for pictures with kids who get their own personalized Christmas card with the mayor.
The open house was also an opportunity to showcase Peyton’s Rally Jacksonville! early reading initiative. Kids were able to sign up to join the club and get their own book bag filled with books and stuffed animals. The 4 year-olds will also get a book in the mail every month.
On the fourth floor, both City Council and the Office of General Counsel held their open houses. There was even more food and drink and the Council open house gave constituents, family and friends the chance to meet the 19 City Council members and chat about everything from holiday plans to issues within their districts.