Colfax Winterfest celebration today

The holidays are heating up in Colfax with the annual Winterfest booked for today.

The festivities begin early in the morning with pop-up shops in vacant storefronts. The shops will allow vendors to fill the vacant storefronts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to expand shopping opportunities for local customers and allow the vendors to sell their merchandise.

One pop-up shop will be located at 213 N. Main Street (Secure Shred). Here local artists will be on hand, and the “Sip for The Center” beer and wine tasting fundraiser will be held from 2-9 p.m. to raise funds for The Center. The vendors at Secure Shred will remain there Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the “Sip for The Center” fundraiser will be held each of those days from 2-9 p.m.

The Center will also have pop-up shops throughout the day. At The Center, the vendors will be selling homemade merchandise.

The festivities will continue throughout the day on Thursday with the Festival of Trees will kick off at The Center beginning at 10 a.m., said library director Kristie Kirkpatrick. Businesses around town have entered decorated trees to be voted on, which visitors can do at The Center. The voting will continue throughout the month. After Thursday, the Festival of Trees will be open during library hours, Kirkpatrick said.

One of the trees is an entry from the Chamber of Commerce with $150 worth of gift cards that one person will have the chance to win by completing a Passport to Colfax. The passport is completed by earning six stamps from participating businesses and returning the passport to the Chamber.

Santa Claus is due to arrive at The Center at 3 p.m. He will take pictures and requests from children until 5:45 p.m., at which time he will depart for the parade.

The Lighted Christmas Parade begins at 6 p.m. Downtown Association President Kimberly DeHart said that the parade route this year is different than in years past. The parade will begin at the Baptist Church on Mill Street and proceed south from there before heading down Canyon Street and then on to Main Street.

“People can view it from Main Street as well as Mill,” said DeHart.

Paraders will exit on Upton to return to Mill Street at the courthouse.

Inland Northwest Broadcasting will be on hand to announce for the parade, which listed 17 entries as of Tuesday morning.

Fireworks will follow soon after the parade. The fireworks will be shot from the hill near the blue water tank.

Also on the schedule Thursday evening is Nightmare before the Holidays at St. Ignatius Hospital. The tours will depart at 7 p.m. from Fonk’s Coffee House at 112 N. Main and last until 10 p.m. at the hospital.

Kirkpatrick said she she is looking forward to the festivities.

“We are just excited,” she said. “It is a lot of fun every year!”