Residents and visitors to Hollister can start their holiday season with the Lights On Celebration on Saturday, with activities from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Last year, the organizers expanded the activities to the daylight hours for the first time.
“It really exceeded our expectations,” said Kathleen Sheridan, the chair of the Lights On Celebration. “We instituted the holiday boutique and the car show. We moved the entertainment to before the parade instead of after. We were really thrilled with how well things went and continued to add a couple new elements.”
Sheridan said the local businesses and restaurants saw an up tick in sales last year during the Lights On Celebration, as people came down to browse the holiday boutique, grabbed lunch or dinner, and did a little shopping. Some of the stores and restaurants are offering specials during the event. Blak Sage Gallery will be open with a collection of Christopher Radko ornaments for sale with proceeds benefiting the Arts Council. There will also be local arts and crafts such as handcrafted pottery, jewelry, cards and other holidays items for sale. Cookies, hot cocoa and mulled wine will be served.
This year’s celebration will again feature the holiday boutique in the Veterans Memorial Building from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Jaime’s Toy and Canned Food Drive Holiday Car Show, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on Sixth and Seventh Streets; and photos with Santa Claus at 7 p.m. The holiday boutique will feature more than 30 vendors. Admission to the car show is the donation to the toy and canned food drive to benefit the six nonprofits that have partnered on the 12 Days of Giving fundraiser.
New additions this year include a life-size snow globe that will be set up in the Veterans Memorial Plaza on San Benito Street. Sheridan said the snow globe is big enough that a family of six can go inside of it to have a photo taken. Photos will be available for $5 each.
“We were looking at different websites for ideas and one idea we toyed with was doing a skating rink,” Sheridan said. “It was just too pricey for us. But the company that offers the skating rink offers these snow globes. It will be up all day long so the window of opportunity is over a broader period of time.”
Also new this year is a kid’s area on the lawn at Fourth and San Benito Streets. The space, dubbed the North Pole, will display holiday trees decorated by volunteer groups. The trees are donated each year by Bourdet’s Christmas Tree Farm, with groups such as local Girl Scout troops and others decorating them. The trees will be on display for a couple weeks and then will be donated to low-income families.
The kids’ area will offer laser tag, bounce houses and other entertainment. Pet Friends Animal Adoption will host a pet fair at 10 a.m., with other activities throughout the day. A crèche display will be set up from noon to 8:30 p.m., at 650 San Benito St., Ste. 130, where hot chocolate and apple cider will be served.
More entertainment will be offered starting at 4 p.m. before the parade. It will include youth performances in front of the Veterans Memorial Building and again on Fifth Street. The parade is set to begin at 5:30 p.m.
During the parade, Sheridan said young adults dressed as elves will help escort the participants along the parade route.
The HDA was largely able to offer the expanded activities because they received a $10,000 grant from PG&E. They also received a $1,000 sponsorship from ACE Hardware to put on the parade, which will feature more than 70 participants. Other local businesses also helped to sponsor the event.
“What was really easier this year is how generous all the businesses were in terms of fundraising,” Sheridan said. “We are really pleased at how generous everyone was. All the volunteers have really been jumping in. We had 650 volunteer hours just in November.”
Schedule:
North Pole (400 Block) – 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with kid-friendly activities
Veteran’s Memorial Building – 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Holiday Boutique
Life-size snow globe – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Presbyterian bell ringers – noon to 1 p.m.
Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus – 7-8:30 p.m.
Sixth and Seventh streets
Jaime’s Toy & Canned Food Drive Car Show – 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
San Benito Street
Youth performances – 4 to 5 p.m.
Lights On Celebration Parade – 5:30 p.m.
Rudolph’s Review – 7 to 8 p.m.
