Tree Lighting Festivities
By Stephanie Yost
President, Idyllwild Community Center
Idyllwild’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, November 30^(th), will honor traditions old and new.
This year’s traditional festivities will include two live entertainment stages, numerous activity and gift booths managed by local nonprofit organizations, roaming costume characters, three food vendors, and a sleigh for family photos. Activities include cookie decorating, a holiday photo booth, ornament painting, and balloon animals.
The food vendors open around noon, the nonprofit booths will open at 2:00 pm, live entertainment will begin at 4:00 pm, and the trees will be lit around 5:10 pm by the lucky winner of the “Flip the Switch” raffle (tickets will be on sale that afternoon in Idy Park from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm).
Additionally, Santa and Mrs. Clause will arrive courtesy of an IFPD firetruck at the gazebo in the Village Centre for free visits from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Mayor Max and Meadow and their dedicated staff will also be available to greet visitors at the event, as will be AJ Llama and the mini horses from Living Free.
Local nonprofits managing the booths include Idyllwild Community Center (ICC), Idyllwild Soroptimists, the Help Center, Animal Rescue Friends (ARF), Friends of the Nature Center, Idyllwild Association of Realtors, Idyllwild Quilters, Idyllwild Fire Protection District, and Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit.
Following a newer tradition begun in 2019, ICC, which manages the event, will light all eight trees in Idy Park rather than just a single tree, as was done previously. This year’s tree donors, whose financial sponsorships primarily pay for the event, are Idyllwild Realty, Tahquitz Pines, Idyllwild Inn, Strawberry Creek Inn, Idyllwild Brewpub, FERRO Restaurant, the Idyllwild Association of Realtors, Idyllwild Village Market, Idyllwild Heating & Cooling, and Village Hardware.
