PORT ANGELES — Santa Claus is coming to Port Angeles for a community tree lighting Saturday.
The tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. — after a celebration begins at 4 p.m. at the Conrad Dyar Memorial Fountain at First and Laurel streets — will be the culmination of the day’s Hometown Holiday celebration sponsored by the Port Angeles Downtown Association.
The Great Snowball Drop, in which “snowballs” can be redeemed for prizes, shopping specials and Winter Bucks, will be part of the Small Business Saturday celebration, which encourages “shopping small” after the day-after-Thanksgiving retail rush.
Winter Bucks is a new twist this year.
When a shopper spends $10 at any of more than 25 participating businesses, that person receives a $1 Winter Buck to spend at that same business in January.
Some businesses will offer Winter Bucks only on Saturday, while some will offer them throughout the holiday shopping season, said Barbara Frederick, executive director of the Port Angeles Downtown Association, or PADA.
At 3 p.m., 500 “snowballs” will be dropped from a firetruck into the parking lot east of Zak’s at 125 W. Front St.
After the Great Snowball Drop, each person can grab up to three balls to be turned in for prizes at the businesses listed on the balls.
At 4 p.m., the community tree-lighting celebration will begin warming up with performances by the Greywolf Elementary choir of Sequim and the Klahhane Cougar Cheer Squad, PADA said. Singer Charlie Ferris will serve as master of ceremonies.
Santa will arrive sometime before 5 p.m., when the tree lights will be switched on.
People attending the tree lighting are encouraged to bring donations for Toys for Tots or the Port Angeles Food Bank.
Many stores are offering discounts and treats throughout their Saturday hours.
Small Business Saturday
The first Small Business Saturday was introduced by American Express in 2010 as a response to the Black Friday tradition, when hordes of shoppers descend on sales, often at big regional or national retailers or malls, on the day after Thanksgiving.
Small-business owners hope the campaign will take hold, and half the battle already is won, according to Frederick.
“There is more of an awareness. People are wanting to spend their money at home,” Frederick said.
“For a lot of small businesses, the whole holiday shopping season is right there up with the tourist season. It will sustain them through January and February — the lean months,” Frederick said.
It has already made a difference at one small business, Port Book and News, 104 E. First St.
“We saw a slight increase in business on that Saturday last year,” said clerk Michael Dumas.
The campaign initially was just for American Express cardholders, but it has spread so that small-business awareness has gone far beyond credit card users, said Dumas, who works for Alan Turner, known not only for his books but also his jokes.
The appeal of his small, locally owned business is more than just buying books, he said.
“It’s the jokes. And the hot apple cider,” he deadpanned.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.