A good time was had by one and all at the 2015 Celebration of Light on Dec. 4.
Kicking off the event this year was the grand opening of the Old Fire Hall at 1 p.m.
People were free to tour the new building, which now offered a kitchen area, meetings upstairs, along with a storage area where farmers can store their food after a harvest.
In the evening, Broadway Street was closed off between What’s Brewing on Broadway and the CIBC.
Unfortunately, despite road blocks in the street, several cars drove through before the road blocks were moved again.
Stores stayed open late, with many offering various discounts, and a DJ was set up on the patio of Broadway Bistro and Deli.
Fire barrels were set up along the way to help keep people warm on the chilly evening.
A variety of groups and businesses set up tables along the street selling food and beverages. Nakusp Secondary School (NSS) was one of the groups. They were fundraising for the NSS Friendship Ambassadors to Japan.
Along with the usual food and sweets, they were also selling tickets to win a gift basket, which featured a variety of items such as tea, chocolate, shortbread cookies, gloves, and a reusable water bottle. The winner was Eva Desuunoy, who had celebrated her 93rd birthday that very day.
The celebration’s coordinator, Aubin Coultahrd, thought the event went very well.
“It felt pretty seamless, and I think that everybody enjoyed themselves,” she said. “I tried to think of every possible problem that could go wrong, and make up a back up plan.”
As the evening went on, the crowds grew thicker, with many waiting for the main event of the evening, the Santa Claus Parade.
As the parade drew nearer, people cleared the streets and stepped back onto the sidewalk to watch the show.
Before the man in red himself made his appearance, several floats had to pass by first—Overwaitea, PALS, and the Nakusp Falcons hockey teams.
Everyone had a good time, including those from out of town.
“It’s beautiful,” said Merina Weisflock, who came to Nakusp from Ontariowhere is she from? to visit with her family. “Everybody comes out and participates.”
While many had been excited to see Santa, the big hit of the night proved to be Mythmaker, a group of fire dancers.
“They were really, really awesome, I really enjoyed them,” said Coulthard. “All those little kids’ faces were just in awe, it was really fun to watch.”
With this year’s celebration over, plans are already in the works for next year’s event.
Coulthard said she has a couple of ideas of what to do for next year, but welcomes any input from the community.
“We do have an events committee, so if anyone has any suggestions and they would like to join in and help plan next year’s event, I would more than welcome them.”