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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2016)
Polk County Living Photos by Lukas Eggen, Jolene Guzman and Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Com- munities throughout Polk County rang in the Christ- mas season Friday and Sat- urday with visits from Santa, candy canes, hot cocoa, Christmas carols and lights — lots of lights. The 49th annual Mon- mouth Tree Lighting includ- ed performances from ele- mentary school choirs, as well as arts and crafts, host- ed by the Western Oregon University athletics depart- ment. A parade kicked off the festivities, with free hot chocolate and candy canes handed out at Western Ore- gon University. After the tree was lit, Santa was in the house for photos with plenty of color- ing and live performances to keep the mood festive. Celebrations at Dallas’ Winterfest had children — and their parents — lined up for hours to have their secret wishes heard by Santa Claus. The event included a variety of food trucks and holiday vendors with crafts to sell on the Polk County Courthouse lawn. Santa arrived via Dallas Fire & EMS fire engine right on time. His tree lighting du- ties were doubled this year as the city of Dallas brought in a second tree on the side- walk in front of the Polk County Courthouse for the first time. After lighting the trees, Santa sat down for his biggest responsibility of all: hearing the Christmas pres- e n t h o p e s o f Da l l a s’ youngest residents. Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 7, 2016 10A In Independence, the Santa Train attendance was record-breaking, with chil- dren lined up so far, Santa decided to stay more than two hours beyond his sched- uled 1 to 3 p.m. so he could hear all the wishes of the boys and girls. An epic Parade of Lights headed down Monmouth Avenue — 15 floats, includ- ing horses, emergency vehi- cles, and an appearance by St. Nick. The open house that fol- lows the parade was moved downtown from the Inde- pendence Civic Center, and was hosted by Sojourn Inter- national. Attendees could warm up from the cold night, get to know each other and enjoy cookies, hot cocoa and cider. The weekend was a won- derful way for all to gather together and kick off the spirit of the season. Mackenzie Welker, four, gets a little help from Tyler Welker with coloring Friday night during Western Oregon’s Holiday Tree Lighting celebration. One of 15 glowing entries in Independence’s Parade of Lights that made its way down Monmouth Avenue Saturday night, helping kick off the Christmas season. Hailey Soukup, 5, shares what she wants for Christmas with Santa on Friday during Western Oregon University’s 49th annual Holiday Tree Lighting celebration. Good little boys and girls had plenty of time to contemplate what they wanted to ask Santa for while waiting in line at Winterfest in Dallas on Friday night. Maxx and Gauge Michaelson, both 2, weren’t so sure they wanted to meet Santa on Fri- day night at Winterfest in Dallas. They were brave enough to pose for a photo, though.
