Richland kicks off festival with lights, Santa mailbox and holiday giveaways

The Richland Parks and Recreation Department has several activities to offer during the holiday season. Here are some events to add a spark:

▪ A Dancing Light Show will be nightly from 4:30 to 10:00 p.m. at John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, throughout the end of the month.

A musical playlist of 14 holiday favorites will be played throughout the park, and those in vehicles can turn on their radio to 104.5 FM.

Santa’s house has a mailbox set up for children to drop off their “Letters to the North Pole.” Place letters with return addresses by Dec. 20 to receive a reply.

Alongside Santa’s house will be a Richland Alphabet Home Village with several scale-model replicas that will be decorate.

Large trees also will be on display at the HAPO Community stage in addition to the lights installed throughout the park.

This year, there won’t be warming fires, organized activities or concessions to help avoid overcrowding. Attendees are asked to wear a mask and honor social distancing.

▪ A Holiday in a Bag giveaway is 6 to 7 p.m. Dec. 18-19 in the parking lot of the Richland Community Center by Howard Amon Park.

The bags will include a cookie mix, frosting, cookie cutter, hot chocolate mix, a book, souvenir mug and more.

The giveaway is limited to one bag per household and registration to reserve a bag is required. Pickup is by vehicle only and reservations are by a 15-minute timeslot to manage traffic flow. To register, go to richlandparksandrec.com.

▪ Seasonal Stories have been read by parks staff and put on a YouTube video to watch anytime. Santa and Mrs. Claus also make an appearance in one of the videos. Find the videos on the Richland City View YouTube Channel.

Check the Richland Parks and Recreation’s website at richlandparksandrec.com or their Facebook page for more activities that have not yet been finalized.