Through the seven levels of the Peppermint Stick Forest, past a sea of Gingerbread Apple Trees and into the Lollypop Woods sat Santa Claus himself. Old Saint Nick woke up early Saturday morning just to eat breakfast with the children of Vicksburg in a Magical Candyland.

The 15th Annual Breakfast with Santa at the Vicksburg Convention Center kicked off early and children were able to eat, play games, make crafts and of course take a picture with the jolly one himself during the 2-hour event.

“I think it’s been fun,” sales coordinator Sue Bagby said.

This year’s breakfast had a special theme, called “Magical Adventures in Candyland,” to commemorate the event’s 15 year milestone.

“We’ve tried to make it look like the kids are on a Candyland board, and they’re going through the adventures of Candyland,” Bagby said.

The game board included story time with Grandma Nut at Peanut Acres, coloring at Cupcake Commons, a Christmas tree craft in the Candy Heart Garden, a candy cane ornament making station in the Peppermint Stick Forest, hula hoops in the Lollypop Woods plus a ring toss and bean bag throw at the Gingerbread Apple Tree. 

Katie Warnock, 5, ate her favorite meal of pancakes and visited the Cupcake Commons Saturday morning before she shyly headed to find Santa at the convention center.

“We’ve been doing arts and crafts, making houses and Christmas trees,” her “GG” Evelyn Weaver said. “We’re about to go look at Rudolph and get a picture with Santa. Of course we had the wonderful breakfast from McDonalds.”

All the fun had children working up an appetite and a breakfast of sausage and pancakes was served to children with milk and juice. There was even an ice cream stand with frozen cups of vanilla given out by volunteer Macauley Vroman.

“It’s going good,” he said. “The people have been nice here.”

The line to see Santa stretched around the stage set up in the middle of the exhibit hall and was nearly as long as the line to see magician Dorian LaChance who made balloon animals for the children.

Lai’lah Barnes, 4, colored a house Saturday and pointed out the gray and purple door she had just finished. She then looked around the room at all the activities the event had to offer.

“I want to play over there,” Barnes said of the Lollypop Woods.

She had already eaten her breakfast and told Santa everything she wants for Christmas like a dog, a bike and skates.

“Merry Christmas,” she said as she was off to the next activity.

Zaria Nixon and Annie Caston were volunteering in the Peppermint Stick Forest helping children make candy cane ornaments out of beads and pipe cleaners.

“It’s gone really good. All the kids love it,” Nixon said.

“It’s fun. It’s nice seeing the small little children have fun. It’s very organized,” Caston said.

Bagby said the convention center sold about 300 advanced tickets for $7, and she thought at least 200 tickets had been sold the day of the event at $10 a piece.

“I think we’re close to 500 at the moment,” Bagby said.

Raffle tickets were also sold before and during the event for various door prizes and the two grand prize sacks of toys and electronics worth $500 each and donated by Wal-Mart. All the money raised during the event goes to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mississippi.