PORT ANGELES — Cast aside the denial.
That’s Santa peeking over the horizon.
In a sure sign Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the way, city officials are seeking a donated 35- to 40-foot-tall Douglas fir that will begin sparkling with 10,000 lights at Conrad Dyer Fountain during an afternoon ceremony Saturday, Nov. 26 — two days after turkey day.
Corey Delikat, city parks and recreation director, said Sunday the “holiday tree” is so named because it will illuminate downtown with good cheer until just after New Year’s Day from its place of prominence at the intersection of First and Laurel streets.
The tree’s owner will receive special recognition for the gift.
All the person needs to do is point out a tree they own that’s accessible by vehicle, then watch a city crew fell it and drive it away.
“We do everything,” Delikat said.
Once the tree has served its purpose in the limelight, “we can buck it up and take it back to them,” he said, adding if they don’t want it, the city will donate it to another group, such as Kiwanis.
Anyone interested in donating a tree should call Parks and Recreation at 360-417-4550 or email parksandrecreation@cityofpa.us by Nov. 11.
The 3:30 p.m. tree-lighting ceremony and related activities Nov. 26 are sponsored by the Port Angeles Downtown Association (PADA).
The events, including kids’ photo-shoots with Santa and a performance by singer Amanda Bacon, coincide with Small Business Saturday, Richard Stephens, acting PADA administrator, said Sunday.
The annual nationwide small-business promotion will include a 3 p.m. “Snowball Drop” in the parking lot of Station 51 Taphouse, 125 W. Front St.
The deluge begins from atop a fire-truck ladder. Raining down will be hundreds of ping-pong balls bearing coupons and other special offers from downtown-businesses.
“They bounce all over the place,” Stephens said. “It’s quite magical and fun.”
Stephens said Santa’s processional from Railroad Avenue to Conrad Dyer Fountain begins at 4:45 p.m. Nov. 26.
Santa, whose father was Santa before him, will ride aboard a conveyance that, in keeping with tradition, remains top-secret, Stephens said.
Delikat said he’s hoping someone steps forward with a tree donation in the Port Angeles-Joyce area.
“We’ve used all the trees we can find in our parks,” he said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
