FORKS — Decorated trees will work their Christmas magic today through Sunday and lights will twinkle through the downtown on Saturday in Forks.
The annual Twinkle Light Parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at “C” Street and proceed to the Triangle Lot on Sol Duc Way, where the community tree stands.
At least 10 floats had signed up for the parade this week, according to Christi Baron, organizer of the West End Business and Professional Association and editor of the Forks Forum, but people can join right up to the time it begins, so it is never known ahead of time how many will participate.
Santa is sure to be represented as well as various emergency services providers and a log truck or two, Baron said.
Applications for the parade are available at the Forks Forum office or by email at cbaron@forksforum.com.
Today, the annual Festival of Trees will begin. The theme is “Believe in the Magic of Christmas.”
Because of COVID-19 health restrictions, the festival put on by Soroptimist International of the Olympic Rain Forest (SIORF) will again be online. Trees and wreaths will be auctioned beginning today and closing on Sunday at www.facebook.com/groups/2845231355804155. Proceeds will support SIORF programs.
There will be no open house for the three-day auction, but wreaths and trees will be on display in windows around town for a Holiday Walk-About.
Seven decorated trees, including the SIORF raffle tree, are on display around town. Locations are:
• First Federal — Tree #5, sponsored by Engeseth Logging and decorated by the Engeseth Family.
• Forks Avenue Real Estate — Tree #3, sponsored by Dan Kousbaugh and decorated by Tabitha Gaydeski.
• Dana’s Hair — Tree #1, sponsored by the Forks Forum/Peninsula Daily News and decorated by Christi Baron; and Tree #7, sponsored by Miller Tree Inn and decorated by Starla Damon.
• Farmer’s Insurance — Tree #6, sponsored by Melvin Fraker and decorated by Pam Nelson, Punki Goakey and Sharla Fraker; and the SIORF raffle tree.
• Forks Outfitters — Tree #4, sponsored and decorated by Forks Outfitters.
• Umpqua Bank — Tree #2, sponsored by D&K BBQ and decorated by Jeanna Snell.
Thirty-seven wreaths also are on display. They are showcased in the windows of Chinook Pharmacy, Sasquatch Store, In Place, Forks Avenue Real Estate, Hoh Tribe, West End Tip and Sip, The Rainforest Arts Center, Pacific Inn, Congregational Church and Forks Outfitters.
Items will be placed into six “guides,” with one tree and six to eight wreaths per guide. Guides will be assigned closing times every half-hour on Sunday, beginning with Guide 1 at 1 p.m. and ending with Guide 6 at 3:30 p.m.
All items, except the trees, must be picked up by 6 p.m. at the Congregational Church. Trees will be delivered.
Bidding can be done on or off Facebook.
“This auction is not exclusive to Facebook members,” SIORF said. “We will work with all members of the community whether they have Facebook or not.”
The assigned “closing time” begins a countdown on each item within that unit. Each item will stay open for bidding until there has been about five minutes with no new bids. Facebook bids will be tracked in the comment section of each item.
To place a bid without Facebook, contact a member of SIORF and the auction administrators will place the bid on Facebook. Bidders must be available by phone or email to stay active in bidding as SIORF members will make contact to update the bidder on status.
SIORF contributes to a variety of projects including awards and scholarships, baby layettes for the Caring Place, hygiene kits for homeless and domestic abuse victims, cancer patient transportation, mammograms and heart tests, Forks Middle School student of the month/honor roll breakfasts/behavior interventions and comfort kits to children in foster care.
For more information, see the Forks Forum at www.forksforum.com/news/siorf-festival-of-trees-2021-2.
