The Reindeer Block Party, featuring two live reindeer, will be 1 to 4 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8 on Main Street between 23rd and 24th streets
VANCOUVER — The Uptown Village Association will once again be celebrating the holidays with two festive events. New this year, the nonprofit group will also be encouraging businesses to decorate for the season.
Sponsoring businesses are paying for a Reindeer Block Party and an Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub Crawl.
The events are free.
The Reindeer Block Party, featuring two live reindeer, will be 1 to 4 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8 on Main Street between 23rd and 24th streets. Craft and food vendors will line the block. Santa Claus will be available to pose for photographs at no charge, so bring your camera — or at least make sure your phone is charged.
“As in years past, we want to offer the chance for children to meet Santa and two of his sleigh-pullers and enjoy a free cup of hot cocoa,” said block party coordinator Phil Hopkins of Laurus Wealth Management. “We also want to keep building on the event, and we’re happy this year that students from Hough Elementary School are going to perform.”
More than a dozen businesses will participate in the Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub Crawl, which will start at 4 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 14. While there’s no order for crawlers to follow, Trap Door Brewing, 2315 Main St., is the designated finish line, where crawlers can compete for an “ugliest sweater” award at 9 p.m.
Temporary liquor licenses have been secured to serve specialty beverages at Green Leaf Apartments, The Upper Room, Center Stage Clothier and Everybody’s Music. Other stops on the crawl are Vancouver Pizza, Cellar 55, Tip Top Too, Underbar, Doomsday Brewing, Shanahan’s, Uptown Barrel Room, Thirsty Sasquatch and Trap Door Brewing.
In addition to paying for the events, sponsoring businesses also cover the costs of holiday lights on Main Street, which went up Oct. 1. To further brighten the area, the UVA decided to start “Light Up the Village,” a decorating contest where the winner will be chosen by patrons.
“We wanted to give people extra incentive to stroll Uptown Village by adding sparkle,” said UVA board member Beth Hovee of E.D. Hovee & Company. “We are encouraging businesses to decorate for the holidays and ‘Light Up the Village.’ We’ll have a competition with text voting for a People’s Choice award.”
Voting will be the week of Dec. 8–14.
To afford “Christmas in the Village,” the UVA had four levels of sponsorship.
• Platinum donors, which gave $1,000 or more, include Bleu Door Bakery and the city of Vancouver.
• Gold sponsors, which gave $500, are Trap Door Brewing, Jeffrey D. Barrar, P.S., Green Leaf Apartments and iQ Credit Union.
• Approximately 20 other businesses and individuals donated at the Silver ($250) and Bronze ($100) level.
For additional information, please contact UVA board members Beth Hovee, bhovee@edhovee.com or at (360) 901-4019 or Michelle Brinning, michelle@cellar55degrees.com or at (971) 212-6767.
