The Christmas season has arrived in Sweet Home, with windows getting some fresh holiday paint and a bunch of activities coming up this coming weekend, starting with the lighting of the City Hall Christmas Tree and ending with the third of as many Singing Christmas Tree performances on Sunday afternoon.
The celebration will continue Saturday, Dec. 10, with the Parade of Lights in downtown Sweet Home, starting at 6 p.m.
Here’s a rundown on what’s coming:
SWEET HOME
Thursday, Dec. 1
— City Hall Tree Lighting, 6 p.m. – Celebrate the kick-off of Sweet Home’s holiday season. Santa Claus and the Yule Log are expected to make appearances. Free hot chocolate and coffee. The public is definitely invited. 3225 Main St.
Friday, Dec. 2
— Sweet Home Evangelical Church Christmas Bazaar, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – A wide variety of vendors will offer all manner of hand-crafted items and gifts. Food and drinks available for sale. 1347 Long St.
— Sweet Home Genealogical Society Christmas Bazaar, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Multiple vendor tables and drawings for gift baskets and a Traeger grill. Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six for the gift basket drawings, $10 each for the Traeger. Retired veterinarian and author Dr. Dave Larsen will be available to autograph books. 1223 Kalmia St.
— Sweet Home Singing Christmas Tree, 7 p.m. – Sweet Home High School Auditorium, 1641 Long St. A 35-voice choir of local singers perform holiday favorites. Doors open an hour before show time for photos with Santa. Admission is free. Donations are accepted.
Saturday, Dec. 3
— Sweet Home Genealogical Society Christmas Bazaar, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Multiple vendor tables and drawings for gift baskets and a Traeger grill. Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six for the gift basket drawings, $10 each for the Traeger. Retired veterinarian and author Dr. Dave Larsen will be available to autograph books. 1223 Kalmia St.
— Sweet Home Evangelical Church Christmas Bazaar, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – A wide variety of vendors will offer all manner of hand-crafted items and gifts. Food and drinks available for sale. 1347 Long St.
— Kids Free Christmas Store, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – The 2022 Kids Free Christmas Store will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday, Dec. 3, at Hope Church , 890 Mountain View Road.
The store gives Sweet Home youngsters, ages 2 through 12, a chance to shop free for the family they live with. When kids arrive they will be assigned to a personal shopper, who will escort them to tables where they can choose from brand-new gifts. After participants select their gifts, they will be wrapped and the kids can take them home to put under the tree.
As has been the case in other years, many businesses and individuals have stepped up to sponsor the store, Producer Nancy Patton said. This year’s include: All Star Auction; Buck’s Sanitary Service; Economy Drugs; Figaro’s Pizza; Holy Cow Meats; Hope Church; Larsen Family Julegard Christmas Tree Farm; Les Schwab Tires; Matt and Emily Gilmore; O & M Tires; The Oregon Jamboree; Outback Signs; Radiator Supply House; Ridgeway Health; Santiam Chiropractic; Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce; Tell & Sell; Thriftway and Trash to Treasure.
For more information, contact Producer Nancy Patton at (541) 409-4276.
— Window Painting – Volunteers are available to paint downtown windows for the holidays. Got a window you’d like freshened up? Contact Jim Gourley at (541) 206-9544 or [email protected] or Lisa Gourley at (541) 974-3457.
— Christmas Card Distribution – This is the day when 4- by 8-foot Christmas Cards are distributed around Sweet Home. Want a card? Want to help? Contact Chamber of Commerce at (541) 367-6189 by Friday.
— Evangelical Church Men Christmas Tree Sale – The Evangelical men sell Christmas trees each year to fund missionary activities and other ministries. Trees arrive in the afternoon (while you wait, hang out at the Bazaar next door!) and the lot will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily thereafter. Cost is $10 per tree. Recommendation: Enter from Kalmia Street at 14th Avenue.
— Christmas Tree Auction, 5:30 p.m. – Sweet Home High School Alumni Foundation will host its 17th annual Trees for Scholarships Auction beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club, 880 18th Ave.
The event includes dinner, a silent auction and a live tree auction.
All donations are tax-deductible and all proceeds go to scholarships for Sweet Home High School students, who received more than $82,000 from SHAF in 2022.
For information, contact Shari Melcher Smith at (541) 409-4019.
— Sweet Home Singing Christmas Tree, 7 p.m. – Sweet Home High School Auditorium, 1641 Long St. A 35-voice choir of local singers perform holiday favorites. Doors open an hour before show time for photos with Santa. Admission is free. Donations are accepted.
Sunday, Dec. 4
— Sweet Home Singing Christmas Tree, 3 p.m. – Sweet Home High School Auditorium, 1641 Long St. A 35-voice choir of local singers perform holiday favorites. Doors open an hour before show time for photos with Santa. Admission is free. Donations are accepted.
Saturday, Dec. 10
— Sweet Home Christian Church Christmas Bazaar, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. – Check out the goods at 1825 Long St.
— Parade of Lights, 6 p.m. – This year’s parade will be bigger and better than ever, with an extended route and plenty of glitz and glamour. Want to participate? Entries are $10. Contact Karla Hogan at (541) 409-0547.
Wednesday, Dec. 14
— SHPD Sharing Tree Distribution, evening: Sweet Home Police Department Teen Sharing Tree gifts available.
Thursday and Friday, Dec. 15-16
— SHFAD Gift Distribution, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Gifts available for pickup for those who have registered for The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District’s Christmas for Kids Sharing Tree toy program. Location: Old City Hall, 1140 12th Ave.
Saturday, Dec 17
— Gingerbread House Contest, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Sweet Home New Life in Christ Fellowship, 1266 44th Ave. The public is invited to view the handiwork of local gingerbread house artisans, whose work will be on display. Free.
OTHER AREA EVENTS
— Lebanon’s Holiday in the Park celebration will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Ralston Park, on Park Street between Oak and Maple streets in Lebanon.
The event includes a tree lighting, music, wagon rides, music, vendors, and the Twilight Parade at 5:15 p.m.
A popular activity is a tour of downtown historical buildings at 2 p.m., hosted by Build Lebanon Trails.
The walk presents a glimpse into Lebanon’s past as participants visit several of the interesting historical buildings in the downtown area of Lebanon. Jeff Smith, local historian, will be our tour guide.
This year’s walk includes a tour of the Wells Fargo Building, originally the Lebanon National Bank, built in 1910. You’ll see the original bank vaults, the second floor board room that overlooks Main Street, and the bomb shelter in the basement.
It will also include a visit to an upstairs apartment, under construction, on Main Street, and will pass two former Lebanon hospitals, with discussion about their history.
Participants should arrive early at BLT’s booth in the park to sign a participation waiver and sign out a whisper listening device so they can hear the walk leader’s lecture.
There is parking available on neighboring streets, though with the festivities you may have to park a couple blocks away.
This is mostly an outdoor event and dogs on leash are welcome, but may not be allowed inside structures.
— The American Legion Auxiliary will hold a Christmas Bazaar Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3, at American Legion Santiam Post 51, 480 S. Main St., Lebanon.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Lunch will be available for purchase both days.
n Mennonite Village will host “Grief and the Holidays” from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at the Lakeside Center, 5353 Columbus St., S.E., Albany.
The presentation and discussion will address the many complications that can arise during the holiday season and ways that individuals can cope and potentially thrive.
While the bulk of the discussion will center around grief related to the death of a loved one, it will also address the grief that comes from life experiences, including those brought about by the pandemic.
There is no admission charge. For more information, contact Christina Harkenss at [email protected].
— Linn County Expo Center will host the Town & Country Christmas Bazaar, to be held Dec. 2-4 at 3700 Knox Butte Road East, Albany.
This year’s bazaar will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4. Admission is $2 for adults and children admitted free.
— Want to hunt for a tree where they live? Christmas tree permits offered by the U.S. Forest Service allow the holder to cut their own in the Sweet Home Ranger District.
Permits are $5 each; online purchases require an additional $2.50 service fee. Visit bit.ly/WNFtree for downloadable maps of Christmas Tree cutting areas and a list of local vendors selling Christmas tree permits.
Each permit allows the holder to cut one tree in designated areas and each household can purchase up to five permits.
All fourth-grade students can get a free Christmas Tree permit by getting their Every Kid Outdoors pass and then either visiting one of the Willamette National Forest offices (except the Detroit Ranger Station) or Recreation.gov and entering their voucher or pass number when prompted.
While hunting for a tree, you can also hunt for ornaments.
The Willamette Valley Visitors Association has launched its fifth annual ornament hunt, running through Dec. 31. In partnership with Cascade Volunteers, 200 ornaments have been hidden along trails on the Detroit, Sweet Home, McKenzie River, and Middle Fork Ranger Districts in the Willamette National Forest and on the Cottage Grove Ranger District in the Umpqua National Forest. The hunt encourages local communities and travelers to connect with public lands and increase outdoor recreation activities.
For more information on the ornament hunt contest and a list of participating trails, visit willamettevalley.org/ornament.
Some words of advice: Keep safety top of mind and be aware of your surroundings whether looking for a Christmas tree or hunting for ornaments.
Cutting trees in some areas of the Willamette National Forest is prohibited; tree hunters should check maps prior to selecting their tree and remain outside of closed areas. Winter weather in the forest can change rapidly.
Forest roads are not maintained for winter driving. Forest staff recommend bringing traction devices and a shovel, extra food, drinking water, winter clothing, blankets, a flashlight, and a first aid kit. Additionally, bring a tool for cutting a tree and a rope or cord to secure it to a vehicle. Tree cutting and travel may take longer than anticipated.
Let a friend or family member know where you are going, get an early start, and leave the woods before dark.