As part of our Shop Local promotion Santa will light up the lights during our Yule Log Fire Holiday kick-off celebration this Saturday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Galloping Goose and Town Hall. There will be free candy, hot chocolate and cookies and all the kids can tell Santa what they want for Christmas. As Santa turns on the lights, the entire town will burst forth with Christmas lights as we light up Dolores for the holidays and win Dolores Dollars. Shiela Wheeler of the Flying Pig, with the full support of the Town of Dolores and the Chamber, put together a Light Up Dolores movement to promote Dolores for the holidays and beyond. It is in conjunction with our Christmas in Dolores Shop Local promotion. Almost all of the businesses in Dolores are banding together to light up the town this Christmas season with white lights that we will use throughout the year to light up Dolores at night to attract more tourists. We will all be turning our lights this Saturday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. You can enter and win Dolores Dollars at these participating merchants: Riverside Convenience Store, Dolores Food Market, The Ginger Jar Shops, Traditional Charm Antique Mall, The Flying Pig, The Fun Center, Dolores Liquor, Ponderosa Restaurant, Dolores General Store, Riverfront Pizza, Karlas Kitchen and Bakery, Second Chance Thrift Store, and the Rio Grande Southern Restaurant.
Shannon Livick and Jeanne Scrivner will be our judges for the commercial and residential lighting contest. They will do the judging Friday, Dec. 14. That will also be the day of the first drawing for our Dolores Dollars. The Grand Prize drawing will be Dec. 21.
On Thursday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. there will be Storytelling with Santa for pre-schoolers only at the Dolores Library.
Also the 5th Annual Dolores Toy Drive is in progress. Drop off points are the Dolores State Bank, Riverside Convenience Store and the Ponderosa. New toys unwrapped please. Saturday, Dec. 15, the volunteers will distribute the toys.
Both Rubys world famous Christmas Bazaar and the Ginger Jar businesses, known as the 4th Street Girls, Christmas tea and open house were huge successes last weekend. Thank you everybody that patronized those events. Ruby said that this was the busiest bazaar that she has had in her 18 years of putting it on. WOW!
Our last Chamber board meeting for 2012 will be Thursday, Dec. 13 at noon at the Visitors Center.
The Dolores Chamber and Dolores Public Library are co-hosting a Facebook and Social Media class for local businesses and individuals Jan. 14. It will help our members find more ways to market and promote their businesses in a cost effective and culturally relevant manner.
Recently the chamber held a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of the Wine tasting room at Karma Coffee and West Fork Gallery. Go in and check it out with Michelle. She has done a fabulous job getting that ready.
See you next year. Have a very Merry Christmas.
Stuart Hanold is the director of the Dolores Chamber of Commerce.