Five-year-old Johnny and 11-year-old Emma Chavez sit with Santa during the Gardnerville Christmas Kickoff on Thursday.
Photo by Sarah Drinkwine.
Carson Valley kept Santa Claus busy this week for the kickoff of the Christmas season. He arrived Thursday via electric carriage just in time for Gardnerville’s lighting and fireworks show at Heritage Park.
Sponsored by Sharkey’s and Carson Valley Health the popular event features the only fireworks show in the Valley.
The Gardnerville Water Co. served popcorn, hot cocoa, spiced cider and Dutch oven cobbler.
Families enjoyed performances by All About Dance, Northwest Martial Arts, Controlled Burn and the Douglas High School Dynamics while warm-ing up around the fire pits.
The evening ended with a musical light show before the boom of fireworks lit up overhead.
On Friday night, Santa was greeted like a celebrity as he walked down the lit pathway to the gazebo in Minden Park to turn on the lights with the help of a lucky child.
Children enter the opportunity by donating canned goods in exchange for a good bag which has a golden ticket to the help the man in red light the gazebo.
Santa hung out in Minden after the event for photos and the Town of Minden provided hot cider, fire pits and s’mores while the Douglas High School Dynamics treated visitors to holiday carols.
Tonight, Santa will join the Parade of Lights before heading home to the North Pole.
This year’s parade theme is “Tiger Tidings” Spreading Championship Joy” spotlighting the achievements of Douglas High School’s softball and golf teams.
The parade will begin at 5 p.m. Floats will begin from Heritage Park onto Main Street from Eddy Street and will head north through Town before making a left on Esmeralda and ending at Minden Park.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce would like to remind the public about the road closures which will occur prior to the Parade of Lights at approximately 4:30 p.m. Main Street will be closed to traffic from Waterloo in Gardnerville to 6th street in Minden. Detours around the parade route will be available. Travelers are encouraged to plan accordingly.
Parade-goers are reminded to stay out of the road and on the sidewalks as to not interfere with the parade route, dress for weather and be cautious of ice, be courteous and aware of traffic controllers, flaggers and sheriff’s office volunteers and maintain your possessions.
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