By Stefanie Donahue
Holiday Harbor Lights is sure to draw a festive crowd to Blaine this weekend.
The main event will take place on Saturday, December 1 and features shopping, kids activities, a tree lighting ceremony, musical theater performances and – if everyone is on their best behavior – a visit from Santa Claus.
“Come one, come all,” reads a statement from the Blaine Chamber of Commerce. “Experience the warmth and charm of a small town holiday celebration by the sea that will delight the whole family.”
A holiday arts and crafts market at the Goff building, located at 674 Peace Portal Drive, will kick off the event.
About a dozen vendors will be selling their hand-made goods at the market, which will be open between 3–7 p.m. on Friday, November 30, 10–7 p.m. on Saturday, December 1, 3–7 p.m. on Friday, December 7 and 10–7 p.m. on
Saturday, December 8.
Also at the market, Peace Arch Montessori Preschool will offer activities for kids while local resident and historian Jim Zell will display an array vintage photos and artifacts of early days in Blaine, said Blaine Chamber of Commerce secretary Carroll Solomon.
“[Zell’s] scanned copies of the Blaine Journal from the early 1900s will be available to view as well as old photos and artifacts,” read a statement from the Blaine Chamber of Commerce. “Maybe you can help identify some of your ancestors.”
To get everyone in the holiday spirit, several musicians are scheduled to perform at the Goff building on December 1, including the Blaine Ukulele Group at 11 a.m., the Senior Center Jam Band at 1 p.m., Allie Ryser and Ray Cushing at 2 p.m. and Mike Bohnson at 3 p.m.
After that, Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation 2, Let’s Move! Blaine and the Blaine Chamber of Commerce will partner to host the annual Holiday Lights Dash at 3 p.m. at the H Street Plaza. The 1.5-mile obstacle run weaves through local streets and ends at the H Street Plaza.
Day-of registration begins at 2:30 p.m. and can also be completed online at bit.ly/2svaqOs. Participation costs $10 for adults, $5 for those under 18 and is free for kids age 5 and below. Families with up to five members can pay $30 to participate.
Keeping with tradition, the first 100 finishers of the Harbor Lights Dash will
receive a race medal and all participants will get a healthy snack.
Beginning at 3:30 p.m., Blaine Community Theater will perform at the G
Street Plaza. The theater troupe will present a handful of musical acts and a reading of ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.’
Mikael McDonald, who along with her husband Nick helped revive Blaine Community Theater after an eight-year hiatus, said the performance “is a big deal for us.”
The tree lighting ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. at the G Street Plaza while the Blaine school choir sings traditional Christmas carols, including ‘O Christmas Tree, Solomon said.
Community development and tourism coordinator Debbie Harger said the tree lighting will be special this year because the city allocated funding in its budget to pay for a brand-new 20-foot tree.
“The fact that happened is almost a miracle,” she said. “The old tree was on its last leg. We had a 50/50 percent chance that it was going to light.”
This year, Santa Claus has agreed to leave the North Pole and hop aboard a horse-drawn trolley to arrive in downtown Blaine at 4:45 p.m.
Between 5–6 p.m. he’ll be available to visit and take photos with kids at the Pizza Factory, located at 738 Peace Portal Drive. A petting zoo, free food and drinks will also be offered by the local eatery.
Throughout the evening, anyone can hop aboard the horse-drawn trolley.
Donation boxes for the Community Toy Store, Blaine’s newest charitable program, will be located in the Goff building and at the Pizza Factory, said Community Assistance Program board member Laura Vogee.
New toys, games, book sets and sports equipment that require no batteries in the $10-$50 price range as well as $25 gift cards for teens to youth-oriented clothing stores will be accepted, she said.
To conclude the evening, the North Cascades Concert Band will perform its fall concert series ‘Music Magic from the Masters’ at 7:30 p.m. at the Blaine High School Performing Arts Center, located at 1055 H Street.
“We will present a program that includes the music magic of Ludwig von Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Georges Bizet, Percy Grainger, Alfred Reed, Sammy Nestico, John Phillip Sousa and many, many more,” read a statement from the band. “We have again invited a local guest group to join us in each of our fall concert locations.”
To learn more about Holiday Harbor Lights, visit blaineholidayharborlights.com or call the Blaine Chamber of Commerce at 360/332-4544.
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