Your Guide to Grays Harbor County Holiday Activities
‘Tis the season for cocoa, caroling and Santa! You do not have to travel far from your home no matter where you live in Grays Harbor County to find a bit of holiday cheer. With events starting at the beginning on November, there is plenty to keep your whole family busy, from holiday bazaars and tree lightings to concerts and plays.
Central Park PTO Holiday Bazaar
601 School Rd, Aberdeen
November 3, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Jump start your holiday shopping at the Central Park PTO Holiday Bazaar. There will be many local vendors with handmade as well as commercial gifts for everyone on your list. Food will be available for purchase and even a Seahawk gift basket raffle! Santa will also make an appearance. Vendor table fees contribute to field trips, assemblies and extra items for the Central Park Elementary. Read more here: http://www.graysharbortalk.com/2018/10/31/your-guide-to-grays-harbor-county-holiday-activities/
The beautiful GHORV park has five tracks for riders to enjoy. Photo courtesy: GHORV.
Grays Harbor ORV Park Promoters Endeavor to Create Multi-Use Park
From the coast to the forest, there are many areas that make Grays Harbor a delightful place to settle down or visit. One that entices people from both near and far is the Grays Harbor ORV (GHORV) park on the rim of McCleary. The expansive park has multiple riding tracks and ever-growing services under the newest promoters that took on the lease in 2017.
GHORV is a great place for adults and children to get in some riding time between March and October. Photo courtesy: GHORV.
“They’ve got plans for new events and ways to maximize use and benefit the facility for the community,” explains Grays Harbor Fairgrounds and Tourism manager, Mike Bruner. “It’s the type of facility that most communities don’t have and people come from all over the state, or even the region, to ride there.”
The new lease holders, Brent Davis and prominent motocross rider Ryan Villopoto, have been collaborating to operate the park with many upgrades in mind. They plan to put Grays Harbor and the GHORV on the map for not only UTV and ATV riding events and motocross, but also downhill mountain biking, mud runs, concerts, camp sites and more. Read more here: http://www.lewistalk.com/2018/11/20/grays-harbor-orv-park-promoters-endeavor-to-create-multi-use-park/
Don’t miss this dazzling parade of lights. Photo courtesy: Festival of Lights
Priceless Holiday Memories are Made at Montesano’s Festival of Lights December 7-9
The holidays have officially here and that means everything from yule logs and parties to extravagantly decorated homes and lots of cookies for all to enjoy. Something especially bright is the Festival of Lights weekend hosted by Montesano that brings everyone together for some Christmas time merriment. Don’t miss out on the festivities planned for Friday, December 7 through Sunday, December 9. There is something new and fun to check out this year with the Jingle Lights light show that used to be done in Central Park, now happening during the Festival of Lights.
Watch a whole city light up in colorful colors as the Festival of Lights parade makes its way through Montesano on December 8. Photo courtesy: Festival of Lights
“The city of Montesano purchased the equipment and so they’re running that show at Fleet Park,” Leslie Goings, Festival of Lights parade chair says. “Each weekend, there’s a different non-profit. So, they’re asking for donations and then that non-profit for that weekend will get the proceeds.”
Sometimes there is a specific theme for the festival, but this year they are keeping it traditional with a theme of “lights” to welcome aboard the Jingle Lights show and for everyone to twinkle brightly during the parade. “We decided not to do a sub-theme, we’re sticking with the Festival of Lights,” says Goings. “Part of it is it has been so specific over the last couple of years that we wanted to let some of the participants reuse some of their decorations, but also with Jingle Lights coming this year we really wanted to focus on lights.”
The magic of the season comes through in Montesano this time of year as people help each other to bring alive the spirit of the holidays. A committee works tirelessly to put on the festival, but dozens of people also help through doing everything from decorating to hosting events. Further, the event is made possible by a generous grant from the Grays Harbor County Department of Fair, Events and Tourism.
“It’s pretty much a city-wide effort,” shares Goings. “The city and public works department, they put up the garland around town, and each business is responsible for doing their own decorating. And then we have just a lot of support, whether it’s monetary sponsorships or donations. Everyone just kind of works together.”
Central Park PTO Holiday Bazaar
