Christmas Festival: Get crafty, sing along and celebrate at Silver Falls

By Mary Owen

Ho ho ho!

Santa’s coming to Silver Falls State Park soon and kids of all ages are welcome to come on up and sit on his knee for a spell.

While here, cozy up to an afternoon of winter tales, sip hot chocolate, munch on a cookie and take part in a slew of fun activities.

The Friends of Silver Falls and Silver Falls State Park will host its 32nd annual Christmas Festival Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12-13.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the South Falls Day Use Area and South Falls Lodge at the park, in the foothills between Sublimity and Silverton.

Although admission is free, parking is $3 per vehicle each day.

Friends president Louise Nelson, a volunteer at the park for the past three years, has been busy calling folks to get live Christmas tree donations and greens for making wreaths.

During the festival, she helps direct volunteers and shows visitors to the various craft areas.

“It’s a very collegial event,” said Nelson, who also helps with yard work around the historic area, and, during the summer season, leads an interpretive walk about the history of the park. “This event takes a lot of planning and a lot of work to get everything ready.

“People are working months in advance, but it’s a lot of fun to work together and the reward is great!”

Nelson said visitors come from far and near, some third-generation festival attendees, to take part in the winter holiday festivities.

They can get crafty with numerous make-and-take projects, including creating homemade holiday cards, gingerbread houses, festive ornaments and wreaths.

“I love watching the kids build the gingerbread houses,” Nelson said. “These little kids get so excited about it, and then when they sit down to build the houses, they eat about half of the building materials!”

Ranger Vicki Sink, who coordinates special events at Silver Falls, takes the lead in most of the behind-the-scenes prep work.

She is joined by a few of her fellow rangers and volunteers like Nelson in making sure all aspects are running smoothly and moving forward.

Sink loves watching children make crafts, getting thank-you’s from visitors and hearing stories from long-time attendees about coming to the festival when they were younger.

“I love the busy atmosphere,” she said. “There is a lot going on, and usually, weather permitting, a lot of people.”

Carolers will help visitors get into the spirit of the season with impromptu sing-alongs, and The Roundhouse Band plays both days from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Salem Audubon Society welcomes festival-goers to the South Falls Lodge to learn about winterizing their yard and gardening for wildlife.

To build a nesting box, stop by the South Falls Lodge Courtyard. Materials are $5, and supplies, provided by the Society, are limited.

Hot chocolate, coffee, homemade cookies, storytelling and Santa visits are free. Santa drops in from noon to 3 p.m. each day.

“It’s hard not to get into the Christmas spirit when you are working and participating in such an event,” Nelson said.

For Sink, who loves to fly back to her native Indiana to spend Christmas with her family, the Christmas Festival is about the busiest she likes.

A park ranger for 15 years, she calls Oregon her home, saying, “Its natural diversity and beauty cannot be beat!”

Sink urges nature lovers to purchase “the gift that gives all year”: an Oregon State Parks annual pass.

For the month of December, 12-month passes are on sale for $20 – $5 off the regular price – or $40 for two years.

Passes will be available at the new Nature Store in the Log Cabin between the South Falls Lodge and South Falls.