STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Sun Valley Resort will boast something new at its annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Saturday when a group of children from the Wood River Jewish Community sing a Hanukkah song as part of the festivities.
Jewish people have been an integral part of the Wood River Valley since the late 1800s when Simon Friedman and his cousin S.M. Friedman opened mercantile stores in Hailey. Simon Friedman even presided over the town as its first mayors.
This is the first time in resort history where the Jewish community has taken part in the festivities at Sun Valley Resort.
The Tree Lighting will take place at 6 p.m. sharp, but there’s plenty to do beforehand:
- A European-style Open Air Market located near the Duck Pond in front of the Sun Valley Inn will feature artisans with a variety of holiday gifts for sale, as well as holiday wreaths and roasted nuts. The market runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, then concludes on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Check out nearly 20 creative Gingerbread Houses in The Boiler Room. The houses, which include one of Rapunzel’s tower and another of the Sun Valley Lodge, were created by teams of people and individuals on behalf of their favorite nonprofits. Sun Valley Resort will give cash prizes to the top three crowd favorites. And you can have a say about which those will be by voting for your favorite on your cell phone.
- Take part in the annual Scavenger Hunt, which asks you to find certain objects in store windows around the village.
- The Faculty Lounge made up of teachers from the Sun Valley Community School will begin singing acapella holiday songs in front of the Sun Valley Inn at 5:30 p.m. Munch on complimentary cookies and sip hot chocolate served up by Sun Valley Resort and watch ice sculptors create a variety of ice sculptures around the resort while you listen.
- While you’re checking out those sculptures check out the massive sun sculpture Bellevue artist Mark Sheehan and his son Sean created in front of the Sun Valley Lodge.
- Did we say Santa was expected to check in before heading back to the North Pole for an enormous nap prior to his big Christmas Eve trip around the world?