December 7, 2022 |
‘Tis the season for festive holiday entertainment throughout Carbon County. The Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting several events in Saratoga this weekend.
The festivities kick off this Friday with the Festival of Trees at the Platte Valley Community Center. All 230 tickets for this annual fundraiser have been sold. Decorated Christmas trees, wreathes, and Yuletide gift bundles will be on display in the Platte Valley Community Center Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fundraiser gala starts at 6 p.m. with drinks and appetizers. An auction will begin an hour later, at 7 p.m.
Amanda Knotwell, CEO of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce said she is still in the process of assembling all the auction items that will be up for bid Friday. Businesses, organizations and individuals, have until today to turn in their entries. Knotwell described some of the holiday pieces she has received already.
Tickets for the Festival of Trees were $40 a person or $600 to sponsor a table of 8. Tickets available past December 2nd would have cost an additional $10 each. All tickets were sold out before that could happen. Proceeds from the auction usually go to support a local charity, but Knotwell said, with no big winter event, the Chamber will keep the entirety of the money.
Saturday, December 10th, is the Christmas Magic Lighted Parade and Winter Wonderland sponsored by Valley Service Organization (VSO). Parade participants will gather in the Platte Valley Clinic parking lot at 4:30 p.m. and end at the Platte Valley Community Center. The Chamber of Commerce CEO explained where the parade will go when it begins at 5 p.m.
Hot chocolate will be available. Santa will on hand for pictures with the kids.
As of Tuesday, parts of the parade route were still blocked by construction. The Spring Avenue Waterline Replacement and Paving Project has sections of South River Street inaccessible to traffic. Representatives from Lewis & Lewis, the contractor responsible for the project, assured the town the streets would be passable before Saturday. Knotwell said the parade organizers have to wait to hear from the contractors before they know the exact route.
Yesterday marked the beginning of the Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce’s reverse raffle. The first 150 tickets were drawn yesterday, with 100 more set for today. The final 50 tickets will be drawn tomorrow. Winners receive “Chamber Bucks” to be spent at businesses in town. The Chamber of Commerce CEO explained how the raffle works.
Knotwell was busy Tuesday morning printing and cutting the individual tickets from sheets that she had produced.
Like Disney Dollars in the Magic Kingdom, the Chamber Bucks aren’t accepted everywhere. They can only be redeemed with active chamber members. Raffle tickets can be purchases at the chamber office in the Platte Valley Community Center, at 210 West Elm Avenue. Call Amanda Knotwell at 326-8855 for more details.
The Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring holiday events in the area. The Festival of Trees may be sold out, but Saratoga townspeople can still enjoy Saturday’s parade and Winter Wonderland. Santa Claus, himself, will find time in his busy schedule to be in the Platte Valley Community Center after the parade. He knows if you’ve been good or not.
