17th Annual Macy’s Holiday Parade of Lights

The 17th Annual Macy’s Holiday Parade of Lights in Walla Walla is Saturday, December 1st. The parade starts at 6pm from Boyer Avenue at Palouse Street, turning left onto Palouse, right on Alder, right on 5th, right on Main, and finishes back on Boyer Avenue. More than 50 lighted entries – tractors, horses, bicyclists, bands, and old-fashioned floats will be marching down the parade route. The Walla Walla Public Library and the window bar at Olive Marketplace & Cafe offer an indoor spot to watch the parade from. The Williams Team Homes Real Estate office at 126 E Alder Street will have heaters on the sidewalks and cookies and warm beverages inside for parade viewers.

Christmas Magic Parade and Tree Lighting in Milton-Freewater

The Christmas Magic Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony in Milton-Freewater is 6pm on November 30th. The parade starts on 2nd Street near the aquatic center and proceeds to Valley Christian Center. Cookies and hot beverages will be served at the center as well as an opportunity to meet Santa and his Elves. A Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony will follow at 7pm.
On the same evening, Sager Shoe Shop at 613 North Main Street, will be hosting a Holiday Open House from 5pm-7:30pm. Zerba Cellars and Blue Mountain Cider Co. will be serving wine and cider along with grilled meats and seasonal tapas from The Bank & Grill Co. Guests are encouraged to bring a canned food or non-perishable food item to be donated to The Bread Basket in Milton-Freewater. Door prizes and gift bags filled with goodies will be handed out to guests.

Black and Gold Gala in Walla Walla

Art Walla is celebrating Walla Walla’s sesquicentennial with a  Black and Gold Gala on November 30, 2012. Squire Broel will be unveiling  his  winning entry, “Looking Back, Looking Forward,” to commemorate Walla Walla’s sesquicentennial. The Gala is from 6-9pm at the Walla Walla Foundry Vineyard, 1111 Abadie St. in Walla Walla. The celebration includes appetizers by Graze Catering, wine by Foundry Vineyards, and artistic surprises from several local artists. Guests are encouraged to dress in festive black and gold.
Tickets for the event are $25. for each guest and can be purchased at Book & Game or online at artwalla.eventbrite.com. 
Art Walla will have a float in the Downtown Walla Walla Holiday Parade of Lights on Saturday, December 1st. Art Walla and the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation will be installing the public art sculpture at Heritage Park at noon on Tuesday, December 4.

Christmas in the Blue Mountains- 38th Annual Milton-Freewater Christmas Cotillion

The 38th Annual Milton-Freewater Christmas Cotillion is Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 7pm. The Cotillion's theme is Christmas in the Blue Mountains. A prime rib dinner buffet is planned along with a live and silent auction and dancing to Back Roads. The Cotillion will be held at the Milton-Freewater Elks Lodge. Tickets are $30. per guest. Proceeds from the event benefit the local Providence St. Mary Regional Cancer Center Special Needs Fund and The American Cancer Society. For more information or to make a donation call: Kris Murray (541) 938-48784 or Karen Isakson (509) 520-8794.

Thanksgiving Dinner in the Walla Walla Valley

Looking for a spot to have Thanksgiving Dinner? The Milton-Freewater First Christian Church is hosting a free holiday dinner on Thanksgiving day, 3:30pm-6pm. The Church is located at 518 S Main.

DeSales Catholic High School in Walla Walla is hosting a free holiday dinner Tuesday, November 20th, 4-6pm. St. Vincent De Paul, the Salvation Army and area churches help put on the event.

A free Thanksgiving dinner at the Christian Aide Center in Walla Walla starts at 2pm  on Thanksgiving day. They will stay open until the food runs out.

The Marcus Whitman Hotel is preparing a Thanksgiving Buffet from noon to 4pm. This is a traditional Thanksgiving Buffet along with a Fondue station, assorted soups and salads, and a variety of desserts. The cost for the buffet is $29.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors, $12.95 for children ages 6-12. Children 5 and under eat free.

Walla Walla Fourth Annual Turkey Trot 2012

The Blue Mountain Chapter, American Red Cross for Walla Walla and Columbia counties is holding their 4th Annual Blue Mountain Turkey Trot at 8:30am on Thanksgiving morning.The Turkey Trot is a 1M and 5K fun run and walk for the whole family. The event will start from the Walla Walla Community College Parking adjacent from the baseball field next to Mill Creek. The 5K route follows the Rooks Park Recreation Trail then loops around the Rooks Park Picnic area, through the Rooks Park parking lot, then merges back onto the Recreation Trail returning to the starting point. The 1 mile walk follows the Recreation Trail to the first foot bridge, crossing Mill Creek and heading back towards Tausick Way and the starting point. The registration fee is $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event. Groups of 8 or more have a group rate of $80. Long sleeve event shirts can be purchased while supplies last. Proceeds from the event go to support humanitarian efforts of the local chapter. To register for the Turkey Trot  (509) 525-7380  or (509) 386-3834.   

Walla Walla Gun Club Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot

The Walla Walla Gun Club will hold their annual Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot on Saturday, November 17, 2012, 9am. Participants can purchase a $35. shoot card which gives them 6 shoots and a guaranteed win. Winners will receive a 12-15 lb turkey. Participants do not need to be members to attend. The Walla Walla Gun Club is located off of Middle Waitsburg Road in Walla Walla.

Directions to the club are:
Follow State Route 12 through Walla Walla. Take the Clinton Street Exit north. Make an
immediate right hand turn onto Middle Waitsburg Road. Follow the road as it first goes east, then turns north. Look for the Gun Club sign on the right about 1/4 mile after the north turn.

Free Family Concert and Foodraiser

Enjoy an evening performance by the Walla Walla Symphony and The Dance Center, Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf", 7pm Thursday, November 15 at Cordiner Hall in Walla Walla. Maestro Yaacov Bergman will be conducting the symphony and Robin Rilette and Gillian coldsnow from NWPR will be narrating. Dancers will be performing under the supervision of Idalee Hutson-Fish from The Dance Center.
The admission to the concert is a non-perishable food item. Sponsors for the concert are Community Bank, Tallman's, Key Technology, Walla Walla UB, and Whitman College. Cordiner Hall is located at 46 S. Park Street in Walla Walla.

Walla Walla Valley Veterans Day 2012

In honor of America's Veterans, the communities in the Walla Walla Valley have a planned a number of events. The Walla Walla 2012 Veterans Day parade will start at 11 am on Main Street. A post parade concert performed by the 133rd Washington Army National Guard Band will be at the Plaza at 1st and Main. The band will also be performing Sunday, November 11th, 6-7:30pm at Walla Walla Community College. The performance is free and open to the public.

The Milton-Freewater Veterans Day parade is Saturday, November 10th at 11am. The
Parade starts at the Valley Christion Center on N Main.

In Dayton the public is invited to the Veterans and Friends Breakfast at the Dayton VFW from 7am-10am.

Shooting Simone at the Harper Joy Theatre

Harper Joy Theatre presents the play Shooting Simone by Lynne Kaufman. Shooting Simone is a comedy set in Paris. It explores themes of jealousy, the changing face of feminism and the inevitably subjective nature of truth. The play is being performed November 7-11, 2012 at Freimann Studio Theatre on the Whitman College Campus in Walla Walla. Reservations can be made by calling the box office at 509-527-5180. Tickets are $12. for adults, $8. for seniors and students. Whitman College students are free.

Fall Release Weekend in Walla Walla

This weekend, November 2-4, is Fall Release Weekend for the local wineries. The grapes have been harvested and a celebration is in the works. Wine club parties have been planned and cellar doors are open for food, entertainment, and new release wine tasting. For more information on hours of operation and location of wineries, seeThe Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance web site at  wallawallawine.com.
For those who are flying in to Walla Walla for this event, Alaska Airlines is allowing the first case of wine that you take back with you to be checked for free. On top of that, Enterprise Rent a Car is offering to waive the rental car drop fee.