Community tree lights up for the holidays
Stop by Shenandoah Park and there is no doubt the holiday season is under way in American Canyon.
Mayor Pierre Washington led the countdown on Friday before the community tree lit up in the dark, ushering the holiday season in American Canyon.
He did so as children, their parents and grandparents waited in line to greet Santa Claus while others played with fake snow in the park or wrote letters to the North Pole. American Canyon High School’s choir sang carols.
For many, the tree lighting is an annual tradition.
Marcie Harris brings her family every year. On Friday, she came with three of her grandchildren to take photos with Santa Claus and to try out the snow park.
“It’s fun,” Harris said as she waited in line with 11-year-old Mya and 4-year-old Kylo. “The community is amazing.”
Another grandson, DJuan, 14, and one of his friends, Jeremiah, 14, said they came to hang out with friends.
Jennifer Mates, who, like Harris, recalled the early days of American Canyon when the ceremony was near municipal buildings on Elliott Drive, came with her 6-year-old granddaughter, Brooklynn.
“Our kids grew up here and now we have a granddaughter here,” Mates said. “It’s a nice community event.”
Charlene Neill, a retired hairdresser, and mother of American Canyon City Councilwoman Melisa Lamattina, came to support the community. So did others, including the Jugal family.
“This is our home function,” said Raymond Jugal, who lives nearby.
Raymond and Joann Jugal came with their 14-year-old daughter, Rinnah Lynn, a middle school student who aspires to join American Canyon High School’s choir one day. They enjoyed the music, the food, the market and the smiles on people’s faces.
It’s like the Filipino culture, he and his wife said. “It feels like we’re home in the Philippines,” Joann Jugal said.
There was also holiday shopping. Milan Alas, the newly crowned Miss Napa County, was among the many who stopped by the event’s holiday gift marketplace set up by the American Canyon Chamber of Commerce.
Other holiday events in town include Saturday’s ALMA’s first posada navideña, an event co-sponsored by Kiwanis International at Mikolajcik Center at the former Napa Junction Elementary School. About 200 American Canyon residents have registered for the free event. Registration is now closed.
The posada, a tradition in Latin America, recalls the journey of Joseph and Mary as they tried to find lodging before Jesus’ birth. The program includes face painting, traditional songs, tamales and other foods. American Canyon High School’s choir is expected. So is Santa Claus.
Also on Saturday, the city sponsors Doughnuts with Santa from 10 a.m. to noon, also at the Mikolajcik Center on Napa Junction Road. American Canyon residents pay $6; non-residents pay $7.
