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News you can use
Santa Claus waves to a group of children while Barrett Morkberg, 4, ponders what to ask for Christmas during the Festival of Lights Friday in Chinook. Morkberg settled on asking for a baby sister, which the two children before him also asked for.
Barrett Morkberg, 4, clutches Santa Claus's (Keith Hanson's) finger while sitting on his lap at the Festival of Lights Friday, November 23, 2018 in Chinook, Mont. A steady stream of children came through to tell Santa what they want to see under their Christmas tree this year.
Austyn Buhmann, 4, attempts to reconstruct a wooden puzzle during the Festival of Lights Friday, November 23, 2018 in Chinook, Mont. Lowell Long, who creates wooden puzzles and toys, was one of the vendors at the festival.
Evan Powell, 7, looks up from decorating a paper Christmas tree Friday, November 23, 2018 in Chinook, Mont. The North Chinook Boosters 4-H Club hosted a fundraiser next door to Mint Bar, selling trees and letting children decorate their own paper trees during the Festival of Lights.
Wilma Melville scoops homemade chili into a paper bowl during the Festival of Lights Friday, November 23, 2018 in Chinook, Mont. Before the big crowds had even begun to gather, Melville had already sold about half a pot of chili to benefit the local food pantry.
Editor’s note: This version corrects the day the Parade of Lights was held.
Chinook was abuzz Friday as the town set off the Christmas season with the annual Parade of Lights.
Chinook Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Megan Singh said the event was good but was quiet before the parade, with entries lit up for display in the annual parade. She added that the parade was for everyone and had no specific theme.
She said the Chamber was also trying something new this year by introducing a progressive punch card. Singh said the cards are meant to encourage people to shop at local businesses and get their cards punched. Once they filled up their cards they could return the card to the Chamber and be entered into a raffle for a gift basket.
She added that by the time the parade started more than 30 cards had been returned to the Chamber.
The Chamber also held a Talking to Santa event inside the Chamber. Kids could come inside, sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas as their parents took photos.
Christin Ragsdale brought her sons, Jonah, 7, and Liam, 5, to the event. Jonah said he has been good this year and hopes Santa will bring him a pet, a video game console, a remote control truck as well as a little sibling. Liam said he would be happy with just some tacos, hot sauce and ketchup. He added that he is excited for Christmas.
Liam said their family plans to go visit their grandparents' for the holidays and when they get back home, he hopes, the family's Elf on the Shelf Elvis will be back from wherever he had gone Friday.
Keith Hansen played Santa at the event. He said he has been Santa on and off for the past 30 years and used to play Santa at Davey Elementary School in Havre.
He added that he has been doing the Talking to Santa event for the past two years and has been the Santa in the Parade of Lights for the past 10 years.
Hansen said he enjoys being Santa, although he was surprised by all the requests children made for siblings.
Megan Singh said the craft show Friday had 16 vendors.
Raegan Bell of Harlem and her business, Hair It Is, were one of the vendors at the event. Bell said that this was her first year at the event, and she thought it was going very well. She said she has been in business for the past 15 years and has never been to the Parade of Lights before.
"It was something new to try," she said.
She added that she would be happy to be at the event again next year.
American Legion member Lowell Long was selling some hand-made wooden toys which his father made before he died. He said all of the money collected from the sales will go toward sending kids to the American Legion Boys State.
He added that this was the third year that he has brought the wooden toys for the event and that people tend to like them.
One of the toys was an old train set, Long said, adding that his father received a call from a railroader back in the day who asked him to make one. He said his father went down to the train yard and sketched out what he was going to carve.
Long added that he was impressed with his father's skill and talent and was very proud to be able to still sell these items.
Blaine County 4-H was selling trees for its annual booster. 4-H Council President Kevin Elias said it was the chapter's third year selling trees at the event and trees would be for sale throughout this week. The trees came from Kalispell and will raise money for the Blaine County 4-H program, he said.
4-H Extension Agent Julianne Snedigar said she enjoys watching the kids enjoying everything that was going on for the festival.
"That's what Christmas stands for," she said.
During the festival, the Chinook Food Pantry set up a chili booth. Director of the Chinook Food Bank Wilma Mellville and volunteer Perry Alcorn said that they were happy to be at the event and they thought it was going very well. Mellville said the chili booth was a good way to raise money for the pantry.
She said that the pantry this year also celebrated its 30th year in operation, adding that the pantry provided people with 33 turkeys for Thanksgiving.
Mellville and Alcorn agreed that everything was going well and that they were both excited for Christmas.
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