Thinking of Santa: Downtown Street Tree Lighting kicks off holiday season
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 months AGO
Dania Pena goes over her Christmas wishes with Santa Friday during the Downtown Street Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House sponsored by the Downtown Moses Lake Association.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
A giant Jenga-like game ends with Vienne Alrashedy holding some of the blocks at the Downtown Street Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House Friday night.
Kiyoshi Wagner paints an ornament during the Downtown Street Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House sponsored by the Downtown Moses Lake Association.
Nuriah Mendoza (center) gets help from her mom Anna Mendoza (right) to roast a marshmallow during the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s Downtown Street Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House. Sammy Mendoza is at left.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | November 15, 2021 1:07 AM
MOSES LAKE — The little girl in the pink coat didn’t want a picture with Santa. She wanted to see him for an entirely different reason.
She decorated an ornament, coloring it with bright blues, greens and reds, and wanted to give Santa a present. She gave it to Santa and went on her way.
The little girl in the red coat took a picture with Santa, and she was so excited she couldn’t stop jumping up and down.
The annual Downtown Street Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House at Sinkiuse Square and Third Avenue went on Friday night, sponsored by the Downtown Moses Lake Association.
The crowd filled Sinkiuse Square. Kids and some adults colored ornaments to take home, or to add to the decorations on the community Christmas tree. Families roasted marshmallows at the fire pit and played a giant Jenga-like game and Connect the Dots.
The Dance FX troupe showed off their steps, and the beginner dance class led the crowd in singing “Jingle Bells.”
At 6 p.m., the crowd counted down, and the lights beamed along the street and on the Christmas tree set up in the square.
It was the Moses Lake area’s first event of the holiday season, but not the last.
The annual Agricultural Appreciation Parade & Street Party is scheduled for Dec. 3, and Light Up Moses Lake for Dec. 4 at the Grant County Fairgrounds and at participating locations around town.
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