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FLIP THE SWITCH Hometown, homemade holiday celebration Ashland's 23rd annual Festival of Light is a delightful alternative to Black Friday Comment By John Darling for Revels DailyTidings.com By John Darling for Revels Posted Nov. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM By John Darling for Revels Posted Nov. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Fashioned as a fun counterbalance to the ritual consumerism of Black Friday, Ashland’s 23d annual Festival of Light will get people in the holiday spirit while boosting the practice of shopping locally and keeping dollars in the valley. The festival is today, and the main event is the big Holiday Parade at 5 p.m. that travels from the library to the Plaza, with Santa and Mrs. Claus being greeted by more than 10,000 believers and their children, always a cheerful delight and maker of memories for the wee ones. Then Santa ascends to the balcony of Brickroom restaurant to lead the masses in some carols and ho-ho-ho’s as he trips the switch, illuminating over a million lights bedecked along the town’s many stores, trees and lamps. After the Grand Illumination, at 6:15 p.m., some 500 children trip off to Santa’s Workshop at Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Theater, at East Main and Pioneer streets. Children express their gift wishes to the red-clad sleigh master from the polar region and get their selfies snapped and rushed off to Facebook and emails. New this season will be bands of professional carolers roving about to shops, streets and restaurants and “creating that old-time ambience” of simpler centuries past, says Katharine Cato, marketing director of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce Visitor & Convention Bureau, which sponsors the hugely popular event. Its thrust is to throw open shop doors and offer people a chance to get their shopping done by purchasing more personal, homemade, locally sourced, unique gifts not found in discount, big-box stores. At the same time, shoppers can take in a repast and libation at the town’s many unique restaurants and pubs, all congregated in a smallish downtown that can be navigated on foot — no getting in and out of cars. Ashland will honor Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, an event started by American Express. It will be marked with celebratory balloons, doormats and such, to “funnel” people into locally owned establishments, Cato says, and remind shoppers of the benefits of keeping money in the home region. “The Chamber has 700 members, and they are what small business means,” Cato says. “They will be showcasing the bounty of retailers, counterbalancing the big national campaigns of Black Friday.” One of the big attractions of the season is a festive Holiday Craft Fair, where you can buy directly from craftspeople and talk directly about their handmade wares. It runs Dec. 5-7 in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Great Hall, East Main at Pioneer streets, and includes live music. From 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, is the Holiday Open House, where shops stay open late to give working folks a relaxing shot at their shopping lists. If cold and snow permit, shoppers can ski Mt. Ashland and skate the Darex Ice Rink, across from Lithia Park. “It’s a delightful month in Ashland, and it’s our honor to bring the festival to the community and help create so many memories and magic for children — and adults, too,” Cato adds. See www.ashlandchamber.com for information. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected] . By John Darling for Revels DailyTidings.com By John Darling for Revels Posted Nov. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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