NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Dec. 6.
FORKS –– The twinkling stars forecast for Saturday night face some serious street-level competition as the city’s 12th Twinkle Light Holiday Parade highlights a weekend of holiday madness.
“If we get enough lights, we should be able to stave off the cold,” said organizer Janet Hughes of JT’s Sweet Stuffs.
Floats created by local businesses and organizations will spend a half-hour lighting up Forks Avenue from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
The parade is the peak of a celebration that includes the Cherish Our Children fundraiser at LaPush, breakfast with Santa, giveaways of Santa Bucks and a Festival of Trees. Forks-area merchants will offer up a Moonlight Madness sale with specials and treats all over the city after the parade till 10 p.m.
Every entry in the Twinklelight Parade will be decked out with twinkling lights, be they generator-powered displays or handheld flashlights.
“Ideally, we’ll be seen from space,” Hughes said. “But if we just have fun here in Forks, that’s OK, too.”
One of the sparkliest entries will be the West End Business and Professional Association’s train, a hallmark of Forks celebrations and a nod to the city’s logging-railroad history.
Joe Wright, a retiree and member of the WEBPA, credited Jerry’s Rentals for rehabilitating the train for the parade.
“The guys over there at Jerry’s also just installed some new goodies on the engine that should make it a bit more reliable,” he said.
Jerry’s crew was called in for rescue repairs before the Fourth of July parade, and Wright said a number of community leaders have pitched in to keep the tiny train running.
Cherish Our Children
Santa’s first stop of the weekend will be at the A-Ka-Lat Center in LaPush , 90 Main St., at 5 p.m. today as part of the annual Cherish Our Children fundraiser.
Events include live and silent auctions, dinner and photos with the Jolly Old Elf.
Creations of local artisans also will be available at the event.
Proceeds are used to provide gifts to needy children in LaPush and Forks.
To donate or for more information, phone Sandy Heinrich at 360-374-6262, ext. 256, or Sharon Penn at 360-374-4278.
Breakfast with Santa
Ol’ Saint Nick will pop in for his annual breakfast with West End youngsters from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at Forks Congregational Church, 280 Spartan Ave.
Breakfast includes scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, french toast and biscuits with sausage gravy, and is $5 for adults and $3 for children younger than 12.
Photos with Santa Claus will be available for $5.
The breakfast is sponsored by the West End Business and Professional Association.
Santa Bucks
Santa moves on down to Forks Outfitters at 1 p.m., where he will draw names to award Santa Bucks.
Shoppers receive one ticket for visiting businesses in the city and one ticket for every $10 in purchases to enter into the drawing.
Santa will give away $100 in Santa Bucks, spendable in Forks, as well as other items donated by local businesses.
Drawings continue every Saturday through Dec. 21.
Festival of Trees
The 19th annual Festival of Trees, sponsored by Soroptimist International of the Olympic Rain Forest, is planned for First Congregational Church, 280 S. Spartan Ave., on Saturday and Sunday.
The theme of this year’s event is “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
The raffle tree has a “Sound of Music” theme and will be decorated with both toy and fully functional musical instruments, musical notes and other items.
A live auction of decorated trees, most with accompanying premiums, begins at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
