COLUSA, CA (MPG) – After a countdown from five, the historic Colusa Water Towers along the Sacramento River on Main Street were lit for the first time for the holidays.
Christmas Tyme in Colusa, a beloved downtown holiday event, known by two previous monikers and held at two previous locations, found instant success along a typically quiet street that came to life on Dec. 6 with entertainment, food, games, vendors, and make-believe snow.
“I love the new location,” said Colusa County Supervisor Daurice Smith, during the opening ceremony. “I love Christmas Tyme in Colusa, and I just want to thank the volunteers.”
The Colusa Lions Club, the Rotary Club of Colusa, the City of Colusa, and the Chamber of Commerce jointly hosted this year’s event, initially established 28 years ago on Market Street as “Old Tyme Christmas.”
Main Street is the third location for the event, which 12 years ago was Hometown Christmas, held on city streets surrounding the Colusa County Courthouse.
While the Christmas Tyme Committee, composed of nonprofit members and city staff, has grown and expanded the event in the past 14 years, the process of closing Market Street, the state highway, at night continues to be cumbersome.
Past Colusa Rotary President Antonio Ortiz, a committee member, said moving the event to Main Street puts Christmas Tyme under local authority and could be permanent once the committee evaluates the evening’s success at the new location.
“Having it on Main Street wasn’t necessarily proposed as permanent, but we wanted to try it,” Ortiz said. “We can always move it back to Market Street. It just requires going through CalTrans.”
Word on the street during the event was that having the Kid’s Zone on Hobbit Ford’s parking lot, Santa Clause at the beautifully-decorated Tin House, approximately 60 vendors stretch on both sides of the street for four blocks, more entertainment than ever before, and the lighting of the water towers made it success, especially for kids, who played games, and made and ate S’Mores at the Colusa Boy Scouts Booth.
“I really liked toro mecánico (mechanical bull),” said 9-year-old RJ Hernandez. “They let me ride it and I didn’t even need a ticket. I got to ride it three times.”
Visitors said they liked the Main Street location and would love to see lights in the trees along the levee.
“I think that would be beautiful,” Cynthia White said.
This year’s holiday festival included Stardust Dance and a Mariachi Band. The Colusa County Arts Council on 5th Street hosted a standing-room-only sing-along with the Colusa Ukulele Club.
“It takes a village to do an event like this,” Mayor Daniel Vaca said.
Colusa County Mini Miss Reese Cunningham and Miss Colusa County Allie Wills performed the countdown for the lighting of the towers, which the Colusa Fire Department stung by firefighter David Avera.
The event took months of preparation, with the Chamber of Commerce joining this year to take charge of the vendors.
The Lions Club of Colusa has been the lead for the event for more than a decade. Clubs, individuals, and business sponsors help pay for the free event.
“The Lions Club has a very specific motto; it is simply we serve,” Lions Club President Greg Ponciano said. “Specifically, we serve Colusa, from Easter egg hunts to the fair parade to this event, and scholarships. Every dollar you spend on the Lions goes right back into the community.”