FORKS — Winter holiday cheer will come to Forks this weekend, with special signature events such as the annual Twinkle Light Holiday Parade and the Forks Festival of Trees, all kicked off by the Cherish Our Children benefit at LaPush.
The Cherish Our Children benefit will be today at the Quileute A-Ka-Lat Community Center in LaPush.
The dinner and silent auction raise money to purchase gifts for children in Forks and LaPush whose families cannot afford holiday presents this year, organizer Sandy Heinrich said.
Dinner and a silent auction will begin at 5 p.m. today, with a live auction starting at 6 p.m.
Photos with Santa Claus will be available, and local artisans will have booths with their products.
The dinner will feature fresh seafood, fry bread, spaghetti and hot dogs.
The event is sponsored by the Quileute tribe and the city of Forks, with proceeds going to the gift-giving programs of the Quileute Housing Authority and the city’s Santa’s Workshop for children.
On Saturday, children and adults can begin the day with Breakfast with Santa at 11 a.m. at Forks Congregational Church, 280 S. Spartan Ave.
That night, there’s a parade.
Twinkling lights
Cutting through the winter gloom, the 10th annual Twinkle Light Holiday Parade will light four blocks of North Forks Avenue from C Street to Wood Avenue starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Twenty entries, including cars and floats, will make their way down the West End town’s main thoroughfare.
“The rules are: It has to have a light,” said organizer Janet Hughes.
However, the rest is left up to the imagination.
Entries have included light sources from flashlights to strobe lights, and prospective entrants often call organizers to ask about how to hook various lights up to generators, Hughes said.
There is no canceling the parade for weather, be it raining, snowing, foggy or clear.
“I like it better when it rains,” Hughes said.
“The lights sparkle off the wet pavement.”
This year, the weather is expected to be clear and cold, and the turnout is expected to be good.
“Per capita, we’re bigger than Macy’s [Thanksgiving Day Parade]” she said.
While Hughes said she thinks of the parade as “new,” many of the teenagers in town don’t remember a time without the Twinkle Light Holiday Parade, she said.
“They say to me, ‘I grew up with this parade,’” Hughes said.
“It goes back to their earliest memories.”
Midnight Madness
As the parade ends, Midnight Madness will begin.
Stores in Forks will stay open late beginning at 7 p.m., offering music, food and specials while customers enjoy holiday shopping.
For the first time in its 16-year history, the Festival of Trees will be open late Saturday, too.
This year, Soroptimist International of the Olympic Rain Forest will offer hot chocolate from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday amid the decorated trees at the Bank of America building at 481 S. Forks Ave.
“It will be a nice, warm place for people to be during the Midnight Madness sale,” said Cathy Johnson, president of the Soroptimist club.
Festival of Trees
Visitors can view the 18 decorated trees and 14 special wreaths of the 16th annual Festival of Trees that evening as well as earlier Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
On Sunday, the doors will open at 1 p.m., and the live auction will begin at 2 p.m.
The festival has no theme this year, Johnson said.
“People can do what they want,” she said.
Volunteers decorate the trees, which are sponsored by local businesses.
A silent auction with other gifts is planned during the event, as well.
Proceeds from the festival fund scholarships, awards, a nursing project and other club endeavors.
This year, that includes the club’s adoption of Forks Middle School.
Soroptimists are establishing student of the month awards and putting out a monthly newsletter.
“Every student at the school will get a bag of homemade cookies at Christmas,” Johnson said.
“We wanted to let students know that there are people who care about them,” she added.
Last year, the festival raised $14,000 for Soroptimist projects.
This year, Johnson said, her goal “is that we do the best job we can to provide a successful festival.
“It takes every member in the club to pull this off,” she said, adding that the group now has about 30 members.
Brick pavers
At the Festival of Trees, Soroptimists also will sign up those who want to buy brick pavers to be put in front of the new Forks High School.
The club is selling 600 pavers for the Quillayute Valley School District, Johnson said, with proceeds to be divided between the club and the district’s music program.
Each paver, which can be engraved with up to 36 characters, costs $40.
For more information about Soroptimsits or the brick pavers, phone Johnson at 360-374-9382.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
Managing Editor Leah Leach contributed to this story.
