Philomath ushered in the holiday season Thursday with the annual lighting of the community Christmas tree, an evening that also included an appearance by Santa Claus, the serving of cocoa and cookies, the ringing of the museum’s bell and singing by local elementary school students.
The Falcon Singers, which includes fourth- and fifth-grade students from Philomath Elementary, provided a highlight with their selection of songs under the direction of music teacher Don Meeker.
Gallery: Philomath Community Christmas Tree Lighting (Nov. 30, 2023)
A collection of photos from the Philomath Community Christmas Tree Lighting celebration at Philomath Museum on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
“Every year they are very excited to come out and sing in the community like this,” Meeker said while packing up equipment afterward. “It gives them something to look forward to every year and it’s a great non-pressure situation where they don’t have to feel like ‘oh, we’ve got to do better than everybody else’ because they’re just out here having fun.”
Local schoolchildren have participated in the event several times over the years — the inaugural celebration at the museum site occurred in 2007. The Falcon Singers have performed annually since 2017, the only exception being 2020 when the celebration was scaled down because of COVID.
“This is so community oriented and informal and they just like being close to everybody like that — being able to see friends standing out there,” Meeker said about the kids, which numbered 32.
Joan Stueve, who was serving up hot cocoa donated by Philomath Social Rebekah Lodge No. 73, enjoys the small-town feel to the event and notices a lot of the same faces from year to year.
“The little kids that are singing in the choir, they’re all very, very excited and so it’s nice to see that excitement,” Stueve said. “I have lived here 30 years, maybe 35 — my husband’s family are all from here and our kids went through the school district and we’re in the community.”
The table with cookies and hot cocoa appeared to be a popular stop — especially for the youngsters.
“I think we have about 15 gallons of cocoa and I start making it at about 2 in the afternoon,” Stueve said as the evening was just getting started. “I just use a big crab cooker, boil the water, stick it in these containers, mix it all up good and usually by 4:30 I’m ready to hit the road and bring it into town.”
Craig Brown Trucking, Oregon State Credit Union and Marcotte Distilling chipped in to help cover the cost of 400 cookies. Philomath Rental provided lighting in the museum parking lot and Shonnard’s Nursery and Pacific Power have traditionally combined forces to put up the lights. The Benton County Historical Society provides the venue.
The celebration is hosted every year by the Philomath Area Chamber of Commerce.
Rick Wells returned in his role as Santa Claus, arriving at the museum on Philomath Fire and Rescue’s Old Engine No. 1. He was accompanied by the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s 2024 queen, Katie Kilcullen, who helped him pass out candy canes.
Mack the Knight and Lil’ King were also celebrating and posed for several photos with youngsters.
Following the tree-lighting, the Philomath Museum bell sounded several times to put an exclamation point on the celebration.
Local resident Sara Parker certainly wasn’t going to miss the event with her family.
“I’m a Christmas junkie, I love Christmas, I’m like a kid,” Parker said, who added that she’s very excited to know that the city will be hosting a lights parade for the first time on Dec. 16.
Meeker spent most of his teaching career in Medford before joining the PES staff in 2017. After beginning the job, he reached out to community organizations to see if he could find opportunities for the Falcon Singers.
“I think this is absolutely marvelous,” Meeker said about the tree-lighting event. “You don’t get these kinds of things in bigger cities — not with such great involvement. I mean, I’ve been to tree lightings in Medford, in Portland, in San Francisco and there might be more people but it’s not people that know each other.
“It’s like, you get to see these kids out here and trudging out there in the mud to watch a tree get lit,” he added. “That’s great to me — it’s like a Hallmark movie.”
