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Central Point goes Disneyland-esque By Buffy Pollock Updated: Dec 16, 2022 08:06 PM A A 3 View all photos Isaiah Alarcon and Corey Qualls make fake snow falling in front of the City of Central Point public works building Thursday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Central Point city crews surprised community members at this year's Community Christmas by making it snow over the parade through the downtown and during the Christmas tree lighting afterward near City Hall. [Courtesy photo] Corey Qualls makes fake snow fall in front of the Central Point Public Works building Thursday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] When a trio of snow-blowing — and bubble-making — machines arrived at Central Point City Hall this fall, Parks and Recreation Manager Nikki Petersen’s excitement was probably a few notches higher than the average glee-filled child at Christmas. Intent on taking holiday fun to “the next level,” Petersen said that when she discovered the snow- and bubble-making machines used by “the Happiest Place on Earth,” the question wasn’t if the city needed at least three of the machines, but how fast they could be delivered. A die-hard Disney fan, Petersen, and her crew, with some help from the folks at City Hall with the checkbook, spend their days creating and planning fun experiences and events for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to host. Her goal in all things, she said, is to try to match the magic vibe, complete with music, snow, fireworks and everything else, that happens on Disneyland’s Main Street USA. To be sure, it’s helpful that the chain of command at City Hall all feel the same way. Public Works Director Matt Samitore — Petersen’s boss — and City Administrator Chris Clayton — everyone’s boss — are all admitted Disney fans nearly as avid as Petersen. “I mean, leave it to the world of Disney, am I right?” said Petersen, on hand at the Public Works office Thursday for a demo of the snow-makers. A handful of Public Works crew members were there too, smiling at their fearless leaders as they gushed about all things Christmas and Disney. Said Petersen, “At Christmas time, all down Main Street, they have these snow machines and it’s just ...” Samitore finished her sentence without missing a beat. “It’s just amazing. It’s unreal. Oh, my gosh — the fireworks, the lights, the snow. It’s just like, WOW!” Added Petersen, “It’s the most magical thing in the world.” Petersen and Parks and Recreation staff discovered the snow- and bubble-making machines at a National Parks and Recreation Association conference in September. “I’m a little neurotic when it comes to Christmas and about Disney, and we were going through the vendor spaces at the NRPA conference when I see SNOW,” Petersen said, grinning from ear to ear. “So, of course, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ And I just took off running across this huge auditorium and was like, ‘What is this? I’ve got to have it!’” Samitore and Petersen both agreed the snow-makers were an exciting find at the conference even before learning the machines, manufactured by Global Special Effects, were used at City Hall’s favorite theme park. “We all talk about how Central Point needs to be Disneyland-esque one day, that we love that feeling of small town Main Street,” Petersen said. “When the guy said, ‘Well, these are what Disneyland has,’ I thought, ‘Well, you’ve completed our dream.’” Samitore said income from the annual Made in Southern Oregon event funded the machines. After first testing the machines around Halloween, Petersen struggled to keep the surprise until the Dec. 3 Community Christmas event. Only half trying to keep a secret from city staff, she found herself posting a TikTok video about forcing your co-workers to endure Christmas cheer — and SNOW — before Halloween was even over. Christmas time, Petersen said, it was “game on.” “It was always our goal to have this beautiful Christmas-esque experience — the snow, the Christmas tree.” Plans to dazzle everyone during the tree lighting quickly expanded to snowing along the Christmas parade route. And adding Olaf, the famed snowman from Disney’s “Frozen” movie. “Because how could we not have Olaf?” said Petersen. “We put him in back of a truck, and we had all three machines shooting snow and it was snowing over Olaf and over the parade route. He was third in line, behind Santa. It could not have been better.” Petersen added, “I think there were even some people who don’t necessarily love this kind of thing and they saw it snowing and went, ‘OK, that’s pretty cool.’” Samitore said unexpected snow during Community Christmas was a fun surprise. “When they turned them on, and then the lights came on, the response was immediate. The oohs and aahs. Everyone just loved it,” he said. An added bonus for street crews and the town overall, the solvent for snow and bubbles are biodegradable and disappear when they hit the ground. Added Samitore, “There’s not even a cleanup, but it looks and feels like real snow.” Petersen can’t wait to think of ways to use snow and bubbles for city events throughout the year. “For sure we plan on using this as many times as we can throughout the community,” she said. “I guess we can be a little bit extra when it comes to things like this, but I feel like we all love our community so much. If you can do things that make people happy, or help make a really special memory, why wouldn’t we try to do that?” She added, “Every year, we try to top whatever we did last year. Not sure how we’re gonna do that next year.” Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.