Aaron L. Solberg is happy to have done his part to light up the Town of Fort Smith this holiday season.
Solberg is the priest-in-charge at St. John's Anglican Church, which happens to share its lot with "one of the biggest trees in town." He plugged in the Christmas lights on the tree on Sunday, Dec. 8, just before a group of residents assembled in front of it for a festive singalong.
"It's a beautiful, big tree," he said. "I have the great opportunity to be part of lighting up the town a little bit."
There's been no shortage of Christmas cheer at Solberg's church this December. The day before the tree was lit, the church hosted a festive bazaar with baked goods, craft tables and a popular sit-down tea that had been on hiatus for several years.
"I think it's the first time we've had a sit-down tea at the bazaar in five years," he said. "I had a discussion with the Ladies Guild, which runs it... They said they would love to do the tea again.
"Basically, it's $8 for a plate of goodies and and unlimited tea and coffee," he added. "Then there's these nice little sandwiches they make.
"We served 50 people."
There's been plenty of holiday fun happening elsewhere in town, too. In fact, Santa Claus himself has been making appearances all over the community.
He made several visits to Mary Kaeser Library, with the last occurring on Dec. 18 SA国际影视传媒� which is also when library staff announced the winners of their Dec. 17 gingerbread house contest.
"The kids were all very excited to see Santa and hear stories, but once it came time to take a photo with Santa, most of the one to three-year-olds were very scared and would only sit near him or beside him," said library manager Sam Stokell.
Nine families came out for Santa's first visit, she added, which is "double the amount that usually comes out for a story time."
"It was a huge success for us."
Santa also stopped by Salt River First Nation's kids Christmas party on Dec. 15, and even hit the slopes with the local Slide Zone Shredderz snowboarding club on Dec. 22.
It's the first time Santa has joined the club on the hill, according to volunteer Janna Jaque.
"We're excited that the early snowfall has made it possible to start our snowboarding season earlier than usual," she said.
There have also been many delicious meals served around Fort Smith as the holiday season gets underway. On Dec. 15, Smith's Landing First Nation hosted its annual Christmas dinner for its members. The Fort Smith Seniors Society also hosted a Christmas dinner for seniors at the recreation centre on the same night.
Several local organizations and businesses got into the holiday spirit by helping those in need. Fort Smith Pentecostal Church, for example, hosted its annual food and toy drive. Paul William Kaeser High School, meanwhile, had its annual Santa Dash on Dec. 15. The event raised more than $1,300 for the local food bank, according to Allie McDonald, a staff member who helped organize the race.
"The event was a huge success," she said. [The money] will go directly to the Fort Smith Food Bank, helping families during the holiday season."
Even Fireweed Festival, a favourite feature of Fort Smith's summer calendar, got in the fundraising fun. Organizers hosted two Christmas bingo nights and a holiday raffle to help cover the costs of next year's festival.
"This is the first time we have hosted the raffle and bingo night, and we couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be more thrilled with the response," said festival board member Melissa Johns. "Both events have been incredibly successful so far, and we've had an amazing turnout. In fact, after so many bingo-goers asked for a second bingo night, we listened, and delivered.
"All funds raised go directly towards offsetting the costs" of Fireweed Festival 2025, she added. "We are so excited for next year's festival and are already working on some exciting new additions that we can't wait to share. Every dollar raised helps us bring bigger, better events to Fort Smith."
With so much going on around Fort Smith, there is no questioning the town's Christmas spirit, according to Solberg, whose church will continue to host Christmas events for the remainder of the holidays.
"The lights are up and going," he said. "There's lots of Christmas events happening, lots of fundraisers. There's definitely a really good Christmas spirit in this community."
