The season of high stress, traffic and gift shopping is nigh. Sometimes it is hard to get into the groove of the holiday season, but there is an upcoming event in Forest Grove for Pacific University students and members of the community to attend that might fill your cup with some Christmas cheer.
On Saturday Dec. 3, Holiday in the Grove starts with its ceremonial tree lighting at the Community House, and other events will follow throughout the day. “There’s all kinds of events going on in Forest Grove. There’s a Light Parade that starts at 6:00 p.m. and that’s the culminating activity,” Howard Sullivan, the executive director at the Forest Grove Chamber of Commerce said. “There will be activities all day long.” There are six events currently in the planning. this includes a breakfast with Santa. However, registration is required in advance. Visitors can get pictures with Santa, visit Mrs. Santa’s Sweet Shop and visit various crafters and vendors.
On Saturday Dec. 3, Holiday in the Grove starts with its ceremonial tree lighting at the Community House, and other events will follow throughout the day. “There’s all kinds of events going on in Forest Grove. There’s a Light Parade that starts at 6:00 p.m. and that’s the culminating activity,” Howard Sullivan, the executive director at the Forest Grove Chamber of Commerce said. “There will be activities all day long.” There are six events currently in the planning. this includes a breakfast with Santa. However, registration is required in advance. Visitors can get pictures with Santa, visit Mrs. Santa’s Sweet Shop and visit various crafters and vendors.
The final event will be the Light Parade, which has drawn a sizable crowd in the years past. “There’s a toy drive, a Holiday in the Grove coloring contest, a giving tree at Linda’s Recreations and a gingerbread house with the News Times,” Sullivan said. “What’s nice is probably the pivotal event, the Light Parade that starts at the north end of Main.” The parade is certainly the center piece of the event. People line up from the barber pole down to Nineteenth Ave. where the parade ends, but the last float passing by does not end the festivities completely.
Shops will remain open for visitors to drink coffee and warm up in. “People will start lining up around 3:30 p.m. There will be a Santa Clause at the parade and a Santa Clause at the tree lighting,” Sullivan said.
Pacific students are encouraged to participate in the Light Parade. Showing their creative spirit and Christmas cheer would be a welcome addition to the
Shops will remain open for visitors to drink coffee and warm up in. “People will start lining up around 3:30 p.m. There will be a Santa Clause at the parade and a Santa Clause at the tree lighting,” Sullivan said.
Pacific students are encouraged to participate in the Light Parade. Showing their creative spirit and Christmas cheer would be a welcome addition to the
parade and also would give students a chance to win one of the awards available. “I’m on the organizing committee of the Light Parade, I’m one of the judges,” Sullivan said. “There are participation ribbons and then there’s the mayor’s trophy and best use of lights and the chamber award. I think a year ago Pacific University Athletic Club won one of the awards. We would love to have student’s be involved in it and be a part of it again.”
Holiday in the Grove has the potential to help its visitors find their Christmas cheer and get ready for the holiday season. From gingerbread house to toy drives to visiting with Santa there is certainly enough happening in Forest Grove to wet anybody’s holiday appetite, but if not, there are many other holiday events that will be taking place around the Portland area. ZooLights will be up from Nov. 25 to Jan. 1 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There is Festival Lights at the Grotto as well from Nov. 27-Dec. 30. If spare cash and transportation is not a hard thing to come by, there are many places in where to go to get your holiday fix.
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