By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
The Crestline Chamber of Commerce has a plethora of activities planned for November and December. They are currently seeking volunteers to help make the events occur smoothly.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Crest Forest Drive will be closed to motorized traffic for the block west of Highway 138 to Woodland Drive for the annual Top Town Fall Festival street fair. That Saturday, the street will be filled with bounce houses, food vendors and a beer garden. There will be craft and merchandise vendors plus the stores will be open with holiday items to begin the gift buying season.
At the Fall Festival there will be autumn art and craft opportunities for adults and kids from Lake Mud Pottery and Sacred Hands Art House, including the ever-popular chalk drawing on the road. This year there may even be a sidewalk chalk art competition. This family fun-filled afternoon is from 1 to 4 p.m. in Top Town Crestline and is free. The chamber is still seeking volunteers for the set-up of the easy-ups (11 a.m.) and take down and clean-up after 4 p.m. Volunteers should register at www.visitcrestline.org.
The theme for this year’s Holiday in the Pines festivities is Once Upon a Toyland. The community decorations will be installed in town beginning Nov. 15. The décor is even more exciting than last year. There will be large, oversized toys, books and presents on display to set the festive holiday mood for the four weekends from Thanksgiving into 2027. The stores are decorating with lights, up and down Lake Drive and Crest Forest Drive, creating magical small-town holiday charm, which the chamber hopes will encourage shopping on the mountaintop this year. The community decor will include 20 over-sized decorations, including a nine-foot-tall silver dancing ballerina, jack in the boxes, along with large books and decorated packages.
A 12-foot-tall swan will be floating in Lake Gregory. On Dec. 19, there will be a lighted boat parade on Lake Gregory late in the afternoon. Nonprofits and individuals may enter the parade. See the chamber’s website, www.crestlinechamber.org, to enter the festive parade.
The annual tree decorating contest will have numerous categories to enter the contest; merchants and nonprofits may use last year’s trees or the use new white-flocked table-top sized four-foot-tall trees for decorating; just email the chamber at info@crestlinechamber.org to request a tree. Voting will take place with winners announced mid-December.
Santa is making up his “nice list” which will be posted throughout town; anyone can be a part of sponsoring the activities by “spreading the cheer.” See the www.Crestlinechamber.org website for more details. Enjoy the holiday caroling and costumed characters walking the streets of Crestline those four weekends.
Last year the bingo shopping card was very popular and encouraged shopping on top, so the chamber will again have the bingo card contest. After getting a bingo on the card, return it to the chamber office for a chance at the holiday drawing for a wonderful gift.
Watch for the opening of Santa’s workshop which will be located inside the Crestline Chamber of Commerce office this year. It will open on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, with free parking in the parking lot next to the building available. Santa will have scheduled hours on each Saturday and Sunday until Christmas, so bring your own camera and capture your visit with Santa.
The chamber began selling tickets on Nov. 1 for their Feb. 6 Mardi Gras on the Mountain which will take place inside the warmth of the San Moritz Lodge. This winter edition of Corks & Hops is set to celebrate Mardi Gras with unique tastings from Southern California craft breweries and wineries. There will be live music, New Orleans fare and fun all under the roof of the rustic San Moritz Lodge, decorated in greens, golds and purple. The event has sold out the past few years.
The Crestline Chamber of Commerce is located at 24385 Lake Drive and will be open weekends beginning in mid-November and through the holiday season to visit Santa. Call them at (909) 338-2706, see their websites, www.visitcrestline.org or www.crestlinechamber.org, or email them at info@crestlinechamber.org with any questions about any of the above events or to volunteer to help.
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