Community events over the holiday season compiled by staff at the Hope Visitor Centre:
December 18- 23 – Christmas Cheer Week at the Hope Library. Celebrate the holidays with displays, gift ideas, music, prizes, and seasonal treats!
December 19 - 23 – Winter Festival Day Camp at the Hope Rec Centre for ages 6 to 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Includes a variety of games, crafts, swimming, skating, bowling & much more! Bring a lunch, swimsuit & towel. If possible, bring a helmet and skates as well. $32 per day per child or $128 per week per child. Family rates also available. Call 604-869-2304 to pre-register.
December 21 – Christmas Storytime at the Hope Library from 6:30- 7 p.m. Christmas eve is just around the corner! Children are invited to join in the fun of new – and not so new – seasonal stories, songs and poems. Happy holidays!
December 24 –Candlelight and Eucharist Christmas Service at 10 p.m. at Christ Church Anglican. No service on Christmas Day.
December 27-30 – Red Cross Babysitting Course at the Hope Rec Centre from 1-4 p.m. daily for ages 11 and up. $65/per person. Call 604-869-2304 to pre-register.
December 27- January 2 – Winter Festival Day Camp at the Hope Rec Centre for ages 6 to 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Includes a variety of games, crafts, swimming, skating, bowling & much more! Bring a lunch, swimsuit & towel. If possible, bring a helmet and skates as well. $32 per day per child or $128 per week per child. Family rates also available. Call 604-869-2304 to pre-register.
December 31 – New Year’s Eve. Plan to bring in the new year at a Hope celebration. Contact the HopeVisitor Centre at 604-869-2021 or 1-866-HOPEVIC for details.
December 31 – New Year`s Celebration at the Hope Legion Hall (344 Fort St.) featuring live music by Roger Schmidt and his band. Tickets $25 per person – includes entry into draw for a TV. Light snacks and champagne at midnight included. Tickets available at the Legion Lounge or call Al at 604-869-7372.
December 31 – New Year’s Eve at Joe’s Restaurant & Lounge starts at 6 p.m. with pre-dinner drinks. A four-course gourmet dinner including champagne for $60 per person includes live entertainment by “No Time Flat." Reservations are required so call 604-860-0822.
December 31 – New Year’s Eve celebration at Sunshine Valley RV Resort & Cabins (14850 Alpine Blvd at Sunshine Valley, east of Hope on Hwy 3) The party starts at 8 p.m. with finger foods, music & dancing. At 9 p.m. there will be a fireworks display, followed by a balloon drop and champagne at midnight. Tickets are $25 per person. To RSVP or book and RV site or cabin call 604-869-0066.
December 31 - New Years Eve Party at Hope Station House - 111 Old Hope Princeton Way. $35/couple & $17.50 single. Band:Lawrence Pelletier 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dinner, dessert buffet, midnight snacks. Ballroom dancing demo by Johnny et al. Tickets in advance at The Headliner (at the Hope Motor Hotel) or at The Hope Station House. Reserve tickets (“will call” at door) by phone or email: hopestationhouse@gmail.com; 604-869-5956 or 604-860-3126. Proceeds to the ongoing Roof Restoration Project. Presented by the Hope Station House Community Arts and Heritage Society.
January 1 – New Years Day. If you are looking for a way to clear the New Year’s eve fog from your mind, why not join the Polar Plunge into the Fraser River on New Years day. There is an impromptu group of folks that do this each year in Yale. Meet on the Yale waterfront at noon on January 1st and take a dip into the icy waters – no swimming, just a quick dunk in and then out again! A very invigorating way to start 2012!
January 3 – First day of the 2012 school year for all public schools in Fraser Cascade School District #78.
Nearby Chilliwack also offers a variety of seasonal events over the holiday break. Minter Country Garden at 10015 Young Road is offering a fabulous indoor light display from 5-8 p.m. through to December 23 and indoor train rides daily through to December 24 and from December 27-31. They also have Owl Visits planned for December 23from noon to 4 p.m. where you can interact with a Great Horned Owl and a Barn Owl! Another program entitled “Mr. Grinch Makes Merry” runs to December 22 from 6-8 p.m. as the Grinch, from the classic Dr. Suess tale, will be stopping by for a few hours in the evening to visit with kids of all ages. And just prior to Christmas Day on December 23 from 6-8 p.m. Santa will visit accompanied by the Sweetwater singers. For more info on these events call 604-792-6612.
The Dickens Animated Christmas Village at Dickens Sweets at 45945 Alexander Ave. in Chilliwack will also be a popular destination for families with young children. Over 100 animated dolls and static displays feature Santa’s workshop, Candy Cane Lane, Santa’s train and a Disney character skating pond. They are open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (closed December 25-26 and January 1 – closing at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve). Admission is free but you are encouraged to make a donation to the Food Bank or to the Wishing Well for the upkeep of the Christmas Village. Santa will be there in person through to December 22 from 1-4 p.m. so bring your own camera for those memorable family photos. For more info contact them at 604-793-1981.
For more event ideas and travel information, contact the Hope Visitor Centre at 604-869-2021 or drop into 919 Water Ave. The Visitor Centre is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but will be closed on December 25, 26 and January 1.