Aberdeen’s WinterFest will be back in full force in December after moving to a virtual format last year due to COVID restrictions.
The holiday festival hosted by the Downtown Aberdeen Association is in its sixth year and will primarily take place on I Street.
Festivities will formally kick off Saturday, Dec. 4., with Breakfast with Santa. The breakfast is complimentary for children under 12 and will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. upstairs at Game Day Sports. The venue features a fireplace where kids can take pictures with Santa and the jolly old elf courtesy of Moyer Multi Media. The photos will be available for free download on Facebook the next day.
“WinterFest is all about officially welcoming the holiday season for families, especially children; their curiosity, their innocence and the desire to have fun. The Downtown Aberdeen Association and WinterFest try to create that atmosphere,” states the WinterFest website.
The family-friendly fun continues at the Holiday Market, which will feature 33 vendors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the D & R Event Center. According to Aberdeen Downtown Association board members Bette Worth and Bobbi McCracken, the market will highlight gifts not available at the shops downtown.
“We don’t want to take away from what’s downtown already. We’ve encouraged businesses downtown to have sales to draw people to the area,” said McCracken.
Some available items at the Holiday Market include Christmas decor, Scandinavian designs, cosmetics, glassware, and driftwood signs. The market will have a craft station for children upstairs with live music provided by the Salmonberry ukulele group from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Children will be able to place letters to Santa in a giant mailbox and decorate ornaments and bags to take home.
Holiday baking enthusiasts should be sure to stop by the former Wiitamaki’s Jewelry Store. The venue will be playing host to a no-bake Christmas treat demonstration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For those who rather appreciate than create, Wiitamaki’s will also be the site for the Gingerbread House Contest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees can vote for their favorite submissions while enjoying live entertainment by local musicians Amanda Ransom and Tyler Marchese beginning at 1 p.m. The contest has six categories, and there will be a people’s choice vote.
“We brought something back that was very popular, which we couldn’t do last year: the gingerbread house business competition,” said Worth.
“The businesses make their own gingerbread houses and choose a charity. The demonstration goes up in their shop on Black Friday, and people vote for their favorite submission by donating. The winning gingerbread house is the one that raises the most money.”
Both Wiitamaki’s and the D & R Event Center will have a free gift basket raffle. The Aberdeen Downtown Association will also be selling raffle tickets for a variety of prizes, including a guided fishing trip, gift certificates for the Shilo Inn, virtual reality goggles, and a holiday prime rib.
WinterFest was the first event put on by the Aberdeen Downtown Association, which now hosts SummerFest as well.
“Our goal is to build the event up enough that people come down to see what’s happening. We just keep adding to it every year to make it more special and to draw more people downtown,” said Worth.
