Light up the night
PARADE OF LIGHTS AND YULETIDE RETURN TO SEASIDE
route, and “the parade goes off with-
out a hitch.”
Judging will occur before the
parade, with the winners announced
during the tree-lighting ceremony.
The categories include: Mayor’s
Choice, Best Walking Group, Best
Commercial Motorized Vehicle, Best
Non-Commercial Motorized Vehi-
cle and Best Walking/Motorized
Combination.
“It’s just a fun event,” Knoll said.
BY KATHERINE LACAZE
S
easide is gearing up for a fun-
fi lled holiday season, which will
feature a slew of festive activi-
ties hosted by the Seaside Chamber of
Commerce.
Yuletide in Seaside starts this
weekend with the Seaside Parade of
Lights and community tree-lighting
ceremony. Both are making a return
this year after being canceled in 2020
due to the pandemic.
Other Yuletide events
A burst of new energy
“Parade of Lights is kind of the
kick-off for everything,” said Katie
McClintock, the chamber’s marketing
and communications director.
The parade, sponsored by Pacifi c
Power, starts Friday at 7 p.m. in
downtown Seaside. At 8 p.m. , Santa
Claus will light the tree on Broadway.
Generally, the parade includes
about 20 to 25 participants, and
McClintock anticipates a similar num-
ber this year, although many entries
for 2021 are fi rst-time participants .
“We’re getting a new crowd,” she
said.
That’s not to say there won’t be
individuals from previous years who
are known for their festive entries.
Robin Knoll, a long time chamber
ambassador, said one of his favorite
regulars is Ruth Swenson, manager of
Lance Wagner
Children mail their letters to Santa at a previous Yuletide celebration in Seaside.
the Hillcrest Inn, and her cohort.
“They have a lot of fun with it,”
he said. “Every year, it’s a little bit
diff erent.”
A team eff ort
For many years, Knoll and other
Chamber Ambassadors have assumed
a number of roles and responsibilities
to ensure a seamless event and festive
atmosphere. During the parade, they
hand out cookies, cider and hot cocoa
to spectators from the patio at Finn’s
Fish House and lead the caroling.
Knoll’s traditional role is over-
seeing the parade lineup with other
ambassadors, as well as members of
the Seaside Tsunami Amateur Radio
Society. Knoll said it’s a team eff ort to
make sure everyone is safe along the
Along with the parade and tree
lighting, the chamber has organized
a variety of other seasonal activities,
including a window-decorating con-
test, self-guided tour of lights, chil-
dren’s coloring contest and the oppor-
tunity for kids to send letters to Santa
Claus.
“It’s a lot going on at once,”
McClintock said. “People are
excited.”
The Tour of Lights was introduced
by the chamber last year in lieu of the
Parade of Lights.
“With COVID, we weren’t able
to do the parade, we weren’t able to
do the artisan fair,” McClintock said.
“They created the Tour of Lights to be
able to do something for the commu-
nity, and it was a pretty big success.”
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