Month: December 2016

There’s still time to sail in a Spirit of Seattle Christmas ship parade

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Featured image: The Spirit of Seattle docked at Lake Union in Seattle (photo by Cheryl Landes) Seats are still available for some of the final Spirit of Seattle’s Christmas Ship Festival sailings this holiday season on the follow boats, which follow directly behind the lead boats in the Christmas ship parades. All departures are from the … Continue reading There’s still time to sail in a Spirit of Seattle Christmas ship parade

Christmas from Home recalls early World War II struggles, uncertainty, and hope in Portland

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Featured image: The Alpenrose Dairy Opera House, which hosts Christmas from Home through December 18 (photo by Cheryl Landes) It’s December 1941. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, which pushed the United States into World War II. Portlanders are scared and worried, uncertain about the future. But they’re determined to do whatever it takes to win … Continue reading Christmas from Home recalls early World War II struggles, uncertainty, and hope in Portland

Celebrate the holidays by crusin’ freestyle on Saturday in Snohomish

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Dress your car, truck, SUV, or motorcycle in holiday decorations and lights for a freestyle cruise in downtown Snohomish, Washington, on Saturday, December 17, 6-7 p.m. The route is a lap along 1st Street, Avenue D, 2nd Street, and Union Avenue. Traffic will move clockwise to minimize congestion, so remember to just keep turning right. … Continue reading Celebrate the holidays by crusin’ freestyle on Saturday in Snohomish

Stanwood’s Lights of Christmas ignites holiday cheer with activities for all ages

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Colorful reflections of lights and swan on a frozen pond at The Lights of Christmas festival in Stanwood, Washington (photo by Cheryl Landes) Every December, Warm Beach Camp in Stanwood transforms into a 15-acre holiday park with light displays totaling more than a million lights. But there’s much more to The Lights of Christmas festival … Continue reading Stanwood’s Lights of Christmas ignites holiday cheer with activities for all ages

Take the ski train from Boston to Wachusett Mountain

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Want to ski Wachusett but don’t want to drive to Central Massachusetts? Take the ski train instead. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) started the service from North Station in Boston to the Wachusett Station in Fitchburg on December 10 (view train schedules). A free shuttle picks up passengers at the Wachusett Station and takes … Continue reading Take the ski train from Boston to Wachusett Mountain

Peacock Lane, Portland’s Christmas Street, open through New Year’s Eve

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Photos by Cheryl Landes Since 1929, residents of Peacock Lane in southeast Portland have decorated their homes and yards with hundreds of colored lights and elaborate holiday displays of Nativity scenes, snowmen and women, Santa in a sleigh, and Christmas villages. The tradition returned December 15 and ends New Year’s Eve. Many Portlanders consider Peacock Lane … Continue reading Peacock Lane, Portland’s Christmas Street, open through New Year’s Eve

Historic coastal botanical garden sparkles during Holiday Lights near Charleston, Oregon

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Featured image: The Garden House decorated in lights for the holidays at Shore Acres State Park south of Charleston, Oregon Photos by Cheryl Landes Updated April 14, 2020 When darkness falls on Shore Acres State Park from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Eve, the botanical garden bustles. A gray whale surfaces and spouts water from its … Continue reading Historic coastal botanical garden sparkles during Holiday Lights near Charleston, Oregon

Light saber battles help victims and families of the Ghost Ship fire

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Grab those light sabers and prepare for war this weekend! The 2016 Glow Battle Tour comes to four cities on the West Coast, where thousands will gather with sabers in hand to battle the forces of good and evil. Proceeds will help victims and families of the tragic Ghost Ship warehouse fire December 2 in … Continue reading Light saber battles help victims and families of the Ghost Ship fire

Christmas ships return to the Columbia and Willamette Rivers for nightly parades

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Featured image: The lead ship in the Christmas Ship Parade on the Columbia River, December 6, 2016 (photo by Cheryl Landes) In 1954, a lone ship from the Portland Yacht Club began the city’s Christmas Ship Parade tradition by cruising the Columbia and Willamette Rivers with green bows tied to its rails. The next year, … Continue reading Christmas ships return to the Columbia and Willamette Rivers for nightly parades

Explore the delicious science of gingerbread house construction at OMSI

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Featured image: The yetis' Mars Bar, part of the "Portland Outpost Mars" gingerbread masterpiece by MWA Architects and The Dessert Tray at a previous Gingerbread Adventures event at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon (photo by Cheryl Landes) Updated November 29, 2018. All photos are from a previous Gingerbread Adventures exhibit. … Continue reading Explore the delicious science of gingerbread house construction at OMSI