NORTH COUNTY – Holiday Lighting Ceremonies will be held in Oroville and Tonasket this week and Santa has promised to be in attendance at each.

Winterfest, sponsored by the Tonasket Chamber of Commerce, takes place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2. Santa Claus arrives on a firetruck at 6 p.m. at Founders Day Park (next to the Tonasket Visitor and Business Resource Center) and that’s where the tree lighting takes place.

Carolers will be stationed throughout downtown for celebrants to walk by and enjoy and a number of civic groups will be providing food and drink as well. The Kiwanis will be providing free hot chocolate and apple cider; the Cub Scouts will be selling hot dogs; the Tonasket Cooperative Pre-school will be holding its bake sale and the Tonasket PTO will be selling soup. There will also be other vendors.

The traditional log-cutting contest will be going on at the Founders Day Park, both for adults and children. Lee Frank Mercantile donated the prizes. There will also be face painting, a book sale and other vendors.

In Oroville, the Oroville Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting at Centennial Park on Saturday, Dec. 3 starting at 5 p.m.

In addition to lighting the community Christmas Tree on the park’s gazebo, Santa will be arriving atop one of Oroville’s firetrucks this year courtesy of the Oroville Fire Department. Rev. Karen Davison of the United Methodist Church will be in charge of the music. There will also be hot chocolate and hot dogs available. Everyone is encouraged to join with family, friends and neighbors in kicking off the holiday season, say organizers.