Issaquah’s Holiday Spirit

 

If you haven’t strolled down Front Street with Santa, Grinch, and Krampus before, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. (I didn’t know what a Krampus was, either. Something about a horned goat-demon who punishes children who misbehave. This one was a gentle, playful soul. The kids didn’t flinch). I thought we would quickly march down Front Street to Gilman Village, waving at passersby and brighten a day already full of sunshine. It was supposed to be a straight shot – taking the path most traveled. Little did I know I would be waylaid as Santa and Friends hung from lampposts, toured Confluence Park, hammed it up at every door front and chatted with each pedestrian along the way. They visited with more than 2,000 people!  

 

I’ve been down this route more times than I can count, but I saw it through new eyes. Smiles and laughter radiated at us, from drivers, merchant employees, bicyclists, and kids young and young-at-heart. The most moving moment was when we visited residents at the Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Windows stood sentry between us during our visit. But one woman put her hands on the glass from the inside, and Santa from the outside. They connected with their eyes in a way that no barrier could thwart.

 

Experiences are always fresh and new. While COVID has infringed on our everyday lives, it hasn’t been able to quell the spirit of Issaquah. Masks don’t hide the smiles. Distances narrow with a distinctive form of camaraderie. Our downtown is forever ours, in its singular, quirky, idiosyncratic way. I’m looking forward to us making new memories on December 21^st – Winter Solstice and our special Yuletide on Front. Not only will it be a celestial wonder with Saturn and Jupiter in a “Christmas Kiss,” it will be Downtown Issaquah’s second Make Music Winter day of celebration.

 

On any given day in Downtown Issaquah, you may run into an artist or musician on nearly every block. That’s how prominent are we in arts and culture. On the 21^st, our musicians, some pros, some just winging it, will be at least six feet apart. (We’ll soon learn how vocalists sing with masks.) You’ll hear guitarists, bells, piano, booming stereos emanating from restaurants, and whatever music-maker of your choice.

 

 

It will be a great day to bring your friends and family down for a stroll along Reindeer (aka Rainier) Trail, take in the holiday lights and artistic sights, stop for tea at Japan Ginger, coffee at Chicago Pastrami, hot chocolate at Las Margaritas. Whatever your wintertime musical dreams, anything is possible. And all of it is free, joyful, and profoundly participatory. Dress up. Bring bells. Wear masks. Dance and laugh. And look up at the historic, starry night. It will be a wondrous sight from anywhere, but somehow it will seem like a front row seat from Issaquah.

 

And always, stay safe. We care too much about you!

 

All the best,