By Kyle Mills Holiday tradition will fill Friday night as Carbondale hosts multiple events for its monthly First Fridays celebration.
Activities will get under way with a special visit from Santa and his elves, as they will stop at the Launchpad from 3-7 p.m. to visit with children and hand out candy canes.
“It’s a traditional setup, where kids will line up to meet Santa, and they can tell him what they want for Christmas,” Carbondale Arts spokeswoman Rachel Manning said.
At 5:15 p.m., the town of Carbondale will light up downtown, continuing a tradition that has been going for well over a decade with holiday lights adorning the trees up and down Main Street.
“We are going to light the big tree by Weant and Main, followed by Santa’s sleigh making its way to Fourth Street Plaza,” Carbondale Rec Center Facility and Special Events Coordinator Jamie Wall said.
Entertainment will follow in the Fourth Street Plaza with the Renaissance Cowboy Christmas Chorale, a Roaring Fork Valley based A cappella group that will perform a few songs by the fire before moving to the Launchpad.
“We will be singing holiday music, some well known and a few not so well known,” Chorale member Kate Friesen said. “It’s all beautiful.”
The group will be dressed in Renaissance period costume.
“We just have a lot of fun singing and playing music,” Friesen added.
There will also be sleigh rides making the loop around downtown. Wall said the sleigh rides are a big hit every year.
“Dress warm, because it’s probably going to be a cold one,” Wall added.
A fire pit will be set up in the plaza, which will also be stocked with hot chocolate, cookies and marshmallows for roasting.
“Crystal River Ballet will be doing excerpts from their Nutcracker Christmas show,” Manning added.
“Launchpad is also doing their Deck the Walls holiday show, so people can go and look for gifts for Christmas,” Wall said.
The show will be in the R2 Gallery.
Clay Center Cup Auction
The Carbondale Clay Center will also be hosting its 20th annual Cup Auction in the future space of CoVenture at 201 Main Street.
The event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m., serves as one of the Center’s largest fundraisers and features hundreds of original, handmade ceramic cups created by local artists, and put up for bid via silent auction.
The popular event continues to gain attention from around the Roaring Fork Valley.
The Center is experiencing a large growth spurt in classes, community outreach programs, and gallery happenings, according to organizers.
The Cup Auction fundraiser helps benefit the Clay Center in its efforts to continue growing in the years to come.
Labor of Love auction
Friday night also marks community radio station KDNK’s annual silent auction at Carbondale’s the Village Smithy restaurant, 26 S. Third St.
Celebrity chef Susie Jimenez will cater the event, with Roaring Fork Beer Co, Marble Distilling, and Odell Brewing providing the libations.
DJ Good will keep the music going, and proceeds from the event will help support KDNK’s mission to “connect community members and the world through public radio access.”
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Via:: Post Independent