14
GRAB BAG
DECEMBER 15–22, 2021
AN ASSORTMENT OF
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
Festival of Lights plugs in holiday spirit
Hermiston
display continues
through Jan. 2
FESTIVAL OF
LIGHTS
Thursday-Sunday, 6-10 p.m.
Open through Jan. 2 (closed
Dec. 24-25)
Eastern Oregon Trade and
Event Center
1705 E. Airport Road,
Hermiston
By Tammy Malgesini
Go! Magazine
H
ERMISTON — Thousands
of twinkling lights await
visitors as the Festival of Lights
returns for a second holiday
season at the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center, 1705 E.
Airport Road. It features 17 large
displays, more than a dozen
individual displays, 23 Christ-
mas trees and “a bunch of small
lighted items.”
“Lots, I couldn’t even begin to
tell you,” General Manager Al Da-
vis said about how many lights
are featured in the displays.
Davis is especially excited
about what he calls a “mega
tree.” Located in front of the
main building, he said it features
a variety of visual manifestations
— from spirals to twinkling stars.
“It runs off a software pro-
gram and it’s pretty amazing,”
Davis said.
When he took the job nearly
four years ago, Davis said he
was asked time and time again
if the Festival of Lights would
be revived. The popular holiday
event, which had been held for
many years at the old Umatilla
County Fairgrounds, went dark
in 2013 because of a lack of
volunteers.
The drive-thru Festival of
Lights runs Thursdays through
Sundays from 6-10 p.m. until
Jan. 2. It will be closed Dec. 24-
25. Admission is by donation,
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Thousands of lights cover the grounds of the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center in Hermiston during the Festival
of Lights.
which goes to the Hermiston
Rotary Club.
It takes many people to
staff the gates, Davis said, and
members of the local service
club stepped up to help. He said
Rotarians do a lot for the com-
munity, including during the
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Umatilla County Fair.
“I knew they had the capacity
to do it,” Davis said. “It seemed
like it was a good fit.”
Davis recently confirmed with
an elf assistant that Santa Claus
will make an appearance Satur-
day, Dec. 18. In addition, Davis is
involved in conversations about
a special New Year’s Eve activity.
Bringing the event back last
holiday season, Davis said,
was important. With all the
pandemic-related closures and
restrictions, he called last year “a
punch in the gut,” which resulted
in many people not looking for-
ward to Christmas.
“It was a recipe for a miser-
able holiday,” he said. “We had
an opportunity to try and do
something.”
And a little inconvenience
isn’t going to disrupt Davis’ vi-
sion — several days after the
crew started setting up the
displays, a blustery wind tore
them down. In addition, despite
placing orders early, some items
only recently arrived.
“We’re going to get some new
displays up,” he said.
Davis views the Festival of
Lights as an additional attraction
to Hermiston during the holiday
season.
“We’re trying to build this as
a destination this time of year,”
Davis said. “We’re just trying
to do our part so that people
come.”
For updates, check the Face-
book page at www.facebook.
com/eotechermistonor. For
questions, call 541-289-9800.