Colfax Winterfest set next Thursday

Plans are in full gear for Colfax’s Winterfest next Thursday, Dec. 1. The annual Winterfest celebration will feature pop up shops, local artisans, the Festival of Trees, a visit from Santa Claus and a lighted parade.

Pop up shops are planned in The Center, the DeHart building at 213 N. Main Street and a unique new site, the Masonic Building.

Sara Golden, who has helped to organize the pop up shops, said the Masonic Temple will be a great stop for visitors during the festivities. Kim Nguyen of Rockport, Texas, recently purchased the building, and she has been working to make improvements there.

“She’s been doing a lot of work up there, and many people haven’t seen it in several years. It will be an opportunity to see more of the history of Colfax,” said Golden.

“We have had a great response with vendors,” added Golden, who has organized the pop up shop display vendors this year.

As of Friday, 26 vendors were on board for the festival. That is almost double the amount of vendors from last year. Golden said she located a lot of vendors by going to craft shows in Spokane and getting business cards.

“Word of mouth has been great,” commented Golden. “Word of mouth has really spread it.”

Among the lineup of vendors will be a a hot dog stand, kettle corn stand, homemade caramels, J.P. Pies, homemade crafters, Christmas decorations and candles.

“A lot of people will have stuff on hand,” said Golden. “But it’s also early enough that people can get orders in and get everything early on.”

In addition to the pop up shops, which will run from 3 to 7 p.m. during Winterfest, there will also be artisans in the former Nostalgia building at 103 S. Main St.

Several downtown businesses also plan to be open later than usual, and some may have sales and promotions.

Santa Claus will also make a special visit to The Center beginning at 3 p.m. He will be available for photos until 5:30 p.m., when he will depart to take part in the downtown parade.

The lighted parade will be on Main Street at 6 p.m.

The parade will follow the same route as last year, beginning at city hall and heading toward the Baptist church on Mill Street and proceeding south from there before heading down Canyon Street and then on to Main Street. It can be viewed from Main Street as well as Mill Street. Paraders will turn right at Upton to return to Mill Street at the courthouse.

Nancy Cochran, who has been in charge of organizing the parade, said the Oakesdale High School volleyball team will be the grand marshals, and there will be several entrants which will include farm equipment, trucks and fire equipment. Cochran said she is seeking more entrants with smaller vehicles or individual entrants.

“We’re still gathering entrants,” she said.

Deadline to enter the parade is Nov. 30. Sign up can be completed online at http://www.explorecolfax.com.

The annual Festival of Trees will also kick off at the Winterfest celebration. Some trees will be set up at The Center, while others will be set up at local businesses. People can vote on their favorite trees throughout the month at The Center. Golden said there will be four prizes this year for the tree festival.

The four prizes include people’s choice, best theme, children’s favorite and judge’s choice, said Kristie Kirkpatrick, library director. The prizes are sponsored by the Colfax Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Library.

Kirkpatrick said that as of Friday, Nov. 18, groups with 14 trees have signed up, so she expects a large turnout. She added that there will be a WSU-themed raffle tree sponsored by Ace, and proceeds from that raffle will go toward the project to add restrooms at The Center.

The Passport to Colfax drawing will also occur during Winterfest. Passports should be turned into the Colfax Chamber of Commerce office at the Perkins House prior to the drawing. The winning entrant will be awarded $200 in gift cards from local businesses.

A winterfest fireworks display will round out the evening following the parade. The fireworks will again be launched from the hill near the “Big Blue” water tank.

The winner of the Festival of Trees contest and the tree raffle will be announced at a reception at The Center Dec. 21. This event is called “Art Among the Trees” and will feature the work of local artists on display and for sale. The event will include appetizers and a no-host bar. It is scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m.