Fort Gibson kicks off tree lighting with fun activities
Dec. 6—Three-year-old Aaron Wilson carefully creased his paper before inserting it in an envelope Friday evening.
He pressed again to make sure it was securely sealed. It had important contents, after all — his first Letter to Santa. Aaron said he wanted dinosaurs, LEGOs and a bike.
Santa could get plenty of letters postmarked Dec. 2 from Fort Gibson. Dozens of children wrote letters at the Century 21 Clinkenbeard Agency, one of nine scavenger hunt stops at Friday's Night at the North Pole. The Fort Gibson Chamber of Commerce hosted Night at the North Pole as part of its annual Christmas tree lighting, held in downtown Fort Gibson.
Fort Gibson Chamber Executive Director Kerri Montgomery said about 300 to 325 came.
The scavenger hunt enticed families to visit different downtown sites, where they got different treats or did different things.
Aiden Holman, 6, said she wanted a sled for Christmas. Her 7-year-old sister Madelin said she asked Santa for a dinosaur and a cat toy. Madelin said she had lots of fun Friday evening.
"I liked finding Jack at the AB Coffee House in the hot chocolate," she said.
Noel Cox of AB said Jack is an elf on the shelf that she hides at different places through December. Whoever spots Jack gets a candy cane.
Children also lined up at the Centennial Park gazebo to directly ask Santa for toys.
"I can only remember two things from what I wrote," 8-year-old Cason Kerr said, adding that one was a Nintendo switch.
Visitors got creative at Astoria & The Studio on Lee, where they painted wooden Christmas tree decorations.
At the Loft on Lee, third-grader Avery Grace Norman helped her grandfather, Tim Lee, serve free hot dogs.
"It's fun," she said.
Just after dusk, all were called to Centennial Plaza to for the Christmas tree lighting countdown. Once everyone counted down to one, the tree blazed with red, yellow, blue and green lights. A choir sang "Joy to the World."
If you go
WHAT: Shop Fort Gibson First Ticket Giveaway.
WHEN: 10 a.m. Dec. 17.
WHERE: Fort Gibson Chamber of Commerce, 108 W. Poplar Ave.
