The Christmas season will officially begin this weekend as cities in North Clark County host their respective tree lighting ceremonies.
Kicking off the festivities on Friday, Dec. 2, will be Battle Ground. The city’s event will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Battle Ground Community Center at 912 E. Main St.
On Saturday, Dec. 3, Ridgefield’s tree lighting will be held as part of the city’s regular First Saturday event for December, known as the Hometown Celebration.
Beginning at 9 a.m., the downtown corridor will host a vendor fair and performances by Ridgefield school bands at Overlook Park. There will be holiday bazaars at Union Ridge Elementary School and at the Ridgefield Administrative and Civic Center. Santa Claus will visit the Old Liberty Theater and crafts geared toward children will be available at the Ridgefield Community Library.
All of the events will culminate with the city’s tree lighting at 4:30 p.m. at Overlook Park, 113-131 S. Main Ave., which will feature a performance by DanceFusion NW.
Woodland will also host its tree lighting event on Saturday. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., patrons can receive a complimentary latte, mocha, hot chocolate or cider at Hoffman Plaza prior to the lighting which begins at 6 p.m. at the plaza, located at the corner of Goerig Street and Davidson Avenue.
Following the lighting led by Santa Claus and Miss Woodland, Santa will lead attendees to Horseshoe Lake Park, where he will visit with children and hand out gifts. Free hot dogs, cookies, hot chocolate and coffee will be available for everyone.
The event has a trio of players in its production, including the Woodland Moose Lodge who sponsors the Santa visits and food. Lota Ross, a 29-year member of the lodge, is hoping for a large turnout this year.
“I think last year people were still hesitant about coming out,” Ross said.
If the city’s Halloween trick-or-treating is any indication, this year’s Winterfest should feature a larger turnout. In 2021, an estimated 600 people came out in costumes for the Halloween event, whereas this year there were about 1,600 people, she said.
Ross said they have advertised the event more this year, in part thanks to help from the city. They will unveil a new tree for the lighting ceremony, according to a flier for the event.
The coffee cart at the plaza is sponsored by Downtown Woodland Revitalization, an organization based on the Main Street USA program. Alongside the sponsoring groups, the Woodland School District will also be involved in the festivities. Starting at 5:30 p.m., the Woodland High School jazz band will perform, and the high school choir will sing carols during the visits with Santa.
“It was just beautiful,” Ross remarked about the caroling during previous iterations of the event.
Her involvement with the visits with Santa keep her from attending the tree lighting event, but the performances by the choir is one of her favorite memories from recent Winterfest events.
Ross said the impact the event has on the children has kept her working on Winterfest since its inception.
“It’s just magical,” Ross said.
La Center will wrap up the weekend’s tree lighting with its event on Sunday, Dec. 4. At 4:30 p.m. the city will light its tree off of Fourth Street between Aspen and Birch avenues. The winners of the city’s coloring contest will also be announced.