The Madison Village Service Department has been saluted for its snow removal efforts during the long and harsh storm that slammed Northeast Ohio shortly after Thanksgiving. Village Administrator Dwayne Bailey commended the department for doing an excellent job of clearing large quantities of snow from the community’s roads. Speaking during the Dec. 9 Village Council meeting, Bailey noted that the service department’s four employees worked diligently to plow lake effect snow that kept accumulating over a multi-day period. “They did an amazing job for such a small group, in a storm of that size and that duration,” he said. Prior to being appointed as village administrator in 2014, Bailey worked for about 16 years as service director in the city of Mentor-on-the-Lake. He said that clearing snow from community streets in a prolonged winter storm creates a lot of tension for snowplow drivers. “People think it’s easy driving a snowplow, but you’re constantly on alert for somebody to pull out in front of you, or for something crazy to happen,” he said. “That’s a lot of wear and tear on those guys.” Snowfall in Madison Village finally subsided enough to provide conditions that were pleasant for the 2024 Christmas in the Village Park celebration held on Dec. 7. The event took place in and around the Village Park at West Main and River streets. Village Police Chief Troy McIntosh, in his departmental report at the council meeting, said this year’s Christmas in Village Park, including the event’s traditional parade, went well. Councilman Robert Lee said there was a huge turnout for the celebration. Lee did ask McIntosh a question about the route of this year’s parade. The councilman said he was watching the parade, and as it turned onto River Street, the procession seemed to go farther than its usual ending point at Park Street. McIntosh said that because of the snow that had accumulated within the park, vendors had to set up along Park Street, where the parade usually ends. With vendors occupying a different area, all foot units from the parade concluded their route at Village Park. But vehicle units in the parade headed past Park Street. They continued a bit farther south on River Street to Saxton Street, where their procession ended.