FORKS — About a dozen entries have signed up for the 15th annual Twinkle Light Holiday Parade on Saturday.
“It’s not the smallest parade in the world, but it’s close,” said Christi Baron, president of the West End Business and Professional Association, which is sponsoring the parade this year.
The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Forks Avenue at C Street and continue to Calawah Way. Entries will begin to line up at 6 p.m.
It will feature floats and other creations with festive lights and an appearance by Santa Claus.
“I am especially excited about the fire baton twirler,” Baron said.
Fire engines and the West End Business and Professional Association’s train will be among the entries.
Rain or shine
The parade will go on rain or shine, Baron said.
“Hopefully it will be dry. One year, they had to push the train out of the snow.”
After the parade will be a community tree lighting ceremony at Forks Avenue and Sol Duc Way.
This year’s tree features wooden ornaments hand-painted by students in the Quillayute Valley School District.
Christmas carols will be sung as the switch is flipped and the holiday season gets underway.
This is the first year that the parade started by Janet and Tom Hughes of JT’s Sweet Stuffs will be sponsored by the West End Business and Professional Association, Baron said.
After the tree lighting, Moonlight Madness will begin, when merchants open their doors to holiday shoppers from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Many will offer specials.
Earlier in the day will be offered Breakfast with Santa, a joint effort of the West End Business and Professional Association and Forks Congregational Church.
Santa will be the main attraction at the church, 280 S. Spartan Ave.
Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for children younger than 12.
Pictures with Santa will be $5.
Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage links, French toast, coffee, juice and hot chocolate will be served.
At 1 p.m., holders of West End Business and Professional Association blue tickets are invited to bring them to a drawing at the Rainforest Arts Center, 35 N. Forks Ave., for a Santa Bucks drawing.
Shoppers at participating Forks businesses receive one blue ticket for every $10 they spend.
Santa Bucks drawings also will be held Dec. 10 and Dec. 17.
Association members are selling $1 tickets for a $1,000 shopping spree. A second prize will awarded: two cords of firewood donated by the Olympic Corrections Center. Winners will be drawn by Santa on Dec. 19.
Money raised from ticket sales support downtown Christmas decorations, Baron said.
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Christi Baron is also the editor of the Forks Forum, a Sound publishing newspaper.
