This year’s Coos County Christmas events are here. There are many events that have already taken place, and even more happening in Coos Bay and North Bend this season. These events are a wonderful way to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends to create long lasting memories. There are many options you can choose from, like chances to meet Santa, and seeing the beautiful display of lights.
One such event was the tree lighting ceremony with Santa at the Coos Bay Visitor Center. The annual event happened on the evening of November 24th. There was also a chance for people to enjoy some delicious cookies, cider, and caroling while they awaited Santa’s arrival. After the tree lighting, Santa headed over to the Egyptian theater where people were able to share their wish list with Santa.
“It was amazing to see the tree light up and show the Christmas season,” said Amina Palacios, who attended the event.
At 7:15 p.m. there was a free showing of the movie Elf, where people had a sock-snowball fight when Buddy was having a snowball fight in the movie. Any socks used were then donated to a local shelter.
”When the kid in the movie threw a snowball, that’s when the crowd stood up and started throwing socks at each other,” said MHS student Adam Boyd. “It was really fun.”
North Bend’s tree lighting ceremony and community events took place on December 2. The day started with breakfast with Santa at the firehouse, followed by story time with Mrs. Claus at the library. Free ice skating was offered at the rink on Union, and the tree lighting festivities started in the evening. Tree lighting is a great way to bring the community together. Afterward, the lighted truck parade wove its way through the streets of North Bend.
The best place to visit Santa in Oregon’s Bay Area is at Pony Village Mall. If you haven’t already been able to visit Santa there and take a picture, make sure to go during these dates: December 16th at 12-6 p.m., December 17th at 1-6 p.m., December 22nd-23rd at 12-6 p.m., or December 24th at 1-6 p.m.
The Historic Railway lights are also open right now and won’t close until January 1st. Hours are dusk-11 p.m. They put up a beautiful display and decorate the trains with tens of thousands of colorful lights. It’s also free! Which is great if you’re looking for a cheap and gorgeous light arrangement.
Christmas movies are a great way to enjoy the fun holiday with the people you love. The Egyptian Theater will have many holiday movies–one such film is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on December 16 at 7 p.m. They will also be hosting a ugly sweater contest before the movie, so that viewers are encouraged to dress up. Other movies and dates at the Egyptian theater include The Nightmare Before Christmas, showing on December 22 at 7 p.m. and December 23 at 2 p.m.
The brightest star in holiday community events is the lights at Shore Acres. These lights are well-known to a lot of residents in Coos Bay and North Bend, and also visitors from around the state. The lights are shown on November 24th all the way through December 31st. They open at 4:00 p.m. daily, and close at 9:30 pm. These lights are hung up around the Shore Acres state park outside of Charleston. But the lights aren’t all that Shore Acres offers. Visiting the lights is like truly taking part in a community collaboration. Hot cider and cookies are served each night, hosted by community organizations that sign up far ahead of time. The inside of the garden house is decorated with fun and seasonal displays.
The Shore Acres lights have been around for 36 years, dating back to 1987. The original display only had 6,000 miniature lights and one large tree. Nowadays they have about 50,000 to 60,000 lights depending on the weather. There are community organizations that decorate trees at Shore Acres–it takes several years to move up on the wait list and showcase a tree. Over 1,500 volunteers help install the lights each year.
“The lights were really nice,” said student Analiya Nunez, who visited the lights. “There were many lights which I enjoyed seeing and taking pictures of them.”
There is a five dollar parking fee for Shore Acres, but new this year is a free shuttle bus! The shuttle bus will run between the Charleston Marina and Shore Acres State park Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, plus Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and New Year’s Eve. The shuttles will depart from the marina every 20 minutes between 4:15 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.