The first day of December was filled with a flurry of festive activities and the occasional flurry of sleet this year at the annual City of Unalaska Department of Parks, Culture, and Recreation Holiday Bazaar, St. Jude Santa Fun Run and Christmas Tree Lighting.
Unalaskans arrived to the PCR at 1pm to a winter wonderland brimming with activity. Some perused a variety hand-made wares thoughtfully displayed by local artists, others went straight to Santa and Mrs. Claus for traditional pictures, while a few parked in front of the impressive array of gingerbread houses, ready to vote for their favorite structure.
Around 3pm, a few dozen brave athletes donned knit hats and beards and varying degrees of weatherproof gear for the St. Jude Santa Fun Run. This walk/run was a 5K to Kelty Field and back, and those who finished were rewarded with hot cocoa the warm feeling of supporting St. Jude Children's Hospital.
The clouds departed by 6:30pm and the festive day came to an end with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in front of the Burma Road Chapel. This year, the “tree” was a creative arrangement of lights on a sturdy flag pole in hopes that the display remained, “lit and vertical,” according to Recreation Manager Albert Burnham. The crowd was treated to cookies and cocoa and sang a rousing version of “Deck the Halls” before illuminating the tree.
A huge thank you to the City of Unalaska Department of Parks, Culture, and Recreation for the hard work they put into making this day magical, and make sure to watch the video clip from this event on Wednesday, December 5th at 8pm on Channel 8 TV.