A bigger crowd than ever before packed into the Robbins Area Library for this year's Christmas visit with Santa Claus.

"I never saw so many people there," said Mayor Theron Bell in her report on library events to commissioners Thursday night. "We must have had 150 to 200. Santa did an excellent job, and so did Mrs. (Lorena Brown) Claus, who came to help out. She patiently accepted Christmas lists and held excited as well as crying children for that must-have Christmas photo.

"The children were wonderful, didn't get scared or anything."

The annual program started with story reading as always. This year, the reader was a student, North Moore High School Key Club member Shannon Marley.

"She wasn't nervous or anything reading to that big crowd," Bell said. "She did a great job."

Santa presented each child with a bag of treats. Robbins Area Library Committee members Linda Kearns, Peggy Smith and Bell served refreshments and took pictures.

Contact John Chappell at (910) 783-5841 or by e-mail at jchappell@thepilot.com.