Santa's Pre-Christmas Rounds to Include Pizza at Roman Forum

When Santa arrives in Canton Saturday morning, he'll fly in on something more modern than a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.

He'll arrive at 10:45 a.m. by helicopter, landing in the parking lot behind the Roman Forum on Ford Road. He'll be seated near the fireplace, ready for chats and photos with children and their parents. Those waiting will have pizza, pop and salad prepared by Roman Forum staff.

While the restaurant lends the event its space and food, Pizza with Santa is sponsored and paid for by the .

"Oh yeah, I enjoy it," said Greg Gatto, owner of the Roman Forum, one of Canton's iconic Italian restaurants. A member of the Rotary Club of Canton since 1977, Gatto said he wants to be involved in the event in the future.

"It's a lot of fun," said Bill Brown, charter member of the Rotary Club and aviation enthusiast. "The Roman Forum is very gracious to set aside the time for us."

Brown said he will be helping slice pizza this year.

About 150 adults and children came to see Santa last year, Sue Kowalski estimated. Kowalski is a Rotary club member. The whole Rotary club is involved with the event, and she described it as a service to the community.

"People who aren't making a lot of money can be a part of it," Kowalski said, citing the economic difficulties some area families face.

"We're not in this to make money," said Bill Tesen, a club past president and charter member. About 19 club members volunteer, and Tesen said their families, such as spouses and kids, often help out. Even Santa himself is a volunteer— this year, he's a friend of the club and Rotarian from another city.

In addition to lining up to see Santa, a clown will be making balloon animals and children can get their faces painted. The face painting is sponsored by , whose manager, Dan Austad, is the Rotary Club of Canton's newest member.

The club has had crafts in the past, Kowalski said, but this year they're adding coloring sheets for the kids. Piizza with Santa has been sponsored by the Rotary Club for about 10 years, she said.

The club has been promoting the event at all Canton-area grade schools, she said.

Dave James, a friend of Brown's, will be piloting his own helicopter Saturday. James does a lot of volunteer work around the holidays, Brown said.

"You're going to bring in people who wouldn't normally come in," Anthony Gatto, general manager of the Forum, said about the event. Last year, the restaurant cooked and cut 30-35 large pizzas, he said.

Greg Gatto opened the Roman Forum in 1976 with his brother. The Gattos are originally from southern Italy. The arches in the restaurant copy the look of arches in Italy, Anthony Gatto said.

Admission to Pizza with Santa is free for children under 3; $5 for children ages 3-13  and $8 for adults. The Roman Forum is at 41601 Ford Rd., across from the Ikea.