Bringing Christmas back to Pinehurst

PINEHURST — Planning is underway for the Pinehurst Christmas Festival and organizers are looking for volunteers.

Organizer Miranda Elam has held several meetings over the past few weeks and now that she and her current group of organizers have hashed out what they want to do for the festival, they need manpower to get it all ready to go.

Pinehurst held a long tradition of having a Christmas Festival put on by the P-K Lions, but over the years the participation in that has dwindled and Elam wants to see that yuletide spirit return to the west end of Shoshone County.

“I’m hoping that we can make as big of an event as possible,” Elam said.

Elam’s hope is to hold a two-day, Friday/Saturday event in December, where activities will range from a house decoration contest (and tour through the town to see the various homes), several cute Christmas contests, and even an outdoor lighting festival event.

“We’re looking for a building where kids can come and decorate cookies and ornaments, and where they can write letters to Santa Claus,” Elam said. “We want to be able to have a gingerbread house competition where people would make them at home and bring them in, but then we’ll have people come in and vote on who they think has the best gingerbread house.”

Elam is planning on discussing her plans with the Pinehurst City Council, where she is hoping to get approval for a nighttime Christmas light parade, which will run through the town and end near the Pinehurst BMX Track, where they will host their Christmas Tree Lighting Festival.

The hope would be that there will be cookies, cocoa and carolers, and maybe even a guest appearance by the one and only Kris Kringle.

Right now, Elam is planning on the Pinehurst Christmas Festival being on Dec. 10-11, but is looking for volunteers to help her pull everything off.

If you would like to help, please contact Mirande Elam on Facebook, or come to their next meeting on Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the P-K Lions building in Pinehurst.