Several hundred people flocked into the 200 and 300 blocks of Main Street last night for the 2019 Penticton Tree Light Up Festival.
The event is growing in size and scope, and this year's edition was no exception. Games, craft stations, photo booths, food and refreshments stalls, a team of costumed characters, and, new for 2019, a small array of vendors called "Candy Cane Lane" were at the ready from 5 p.m. onwards.
And more merchants seem to be getting in the swing of things. At the Block 300 Casual Steakhouse patio, they were serving complimentary hot chocolate. And over at Petrasek Bakery, owners Jan and Sylvia put out a table filled with trays of tasty baked goods. Most were snapped up in the first 30 minutes.
The mood was celebratory, and kids and parents of all ages looked to be having a blast. The Santa Letter-Writing Station was an especially popular place as children put together their wish lists and sent them to the North Pole.
Granted, the Festival's footprint seemed a bit generous, as if plotted out for a crowd in the thousands rather than the hundreds. Lynn Allin of organizing body Downtown Penticton Association agreed, walking the grounds when the night was at its peak and saying she'd rather see a tighter setup next year.
The obvious focal point, as always, was the performance stage at the corner of Main and Nanaimo, directly across the street from the giant tree. First on the schedule was the Skaha Lake Middle School band, followed by the Balance School of the Performing Arts, the Aidan Mayes School of Music, and the Princess Margaret music department.
The appreciate crowd, including a lot of performer parents, applauded and cheered and made great use of the cameras built into their smartphones.
The evening was not without a couple of hiccups. Fortunately, both had a silver lining.
One came with the arrival of Santa and Ms Claus. As has become the norm, they pulled in on a way cool Penticton Fire Department ATV decked out in Christmas lights. It looked wonderful. But they arrived a good 20 minutes early. The crowd was still focused on the stage and most didn't even notice.
So rather than have the Clauses chill for twenty minutes, they were hustled back onto the ATV for a slow drive around the block.
The upside came when the Clauses made their second entrance via a new route, along Main Street and right through the center of the action. This gave festival goers up and down the street a chance to get caught up in the action, and generally seemed to be a better plan than the traditional side street entrance.
Later, when Santa gave the word for the Nanaimo Square tree to illuminate, it didn't. At least not for a few seconds. There were groans and laughter all around, but the cheers were even louder than usual when the bulbs finally did switch on.
Even on a cold, windy night, the Tree Light Up Festival warmed hearts and created a lot of smiles. There was plenty to do and plenty to see, and it's clearly become a key event in the Penticton fall/winter schedule.
