OCCA's annual Christmas Stroll Nov. 25; Santa relocating to Welcome Center
The 1859 Garvin Cabin in Bancroft Park was
decorated in November 2016 for the Old Colorado City Associates (OCCA)
business group's annual Christmas Stroll and as the seasonal headquarters of the
OCCA Santa. This year the organization will have Santa a block east, in the
OCCA-owned Welcome Center.
Westside Pioneer file photo
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There's a change this Christmas season in where Santa will pay his calls to Old Colorado City.
Instead of the historic Garvin Cabin in Bancroft Park - the locale for many years - the Jolly Old Elf will be greeting youngsters in the Old Colorado City Associates (OCCA) business group's Welcome Center, 2324 W. Colorado Ave.
Otherwise, the merchants' seasonal plans are in keeping with their traditions. Santa's arrival will be the first Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving - Nov. 25 this year, and will be followed that evening by the OCCA's annual Christmas Stroll, featuring musicians and singing groups on the avenue.
The time range for both events will be the same as in past years:
- Stroll, from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Santa, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except during the Stroll, when he is scheduled to come back at 5).
Unchanged from the past will be the rest of OCCA Santa's schedule: weekends from 11 to 4 except Sunday, Dec. 24, from 11 to 3. Also on weekends, the OCCA plans to have performers on the sidewalks and vendors in the yard in front of the Welcome Center.
According to Karen Cullen, the OCCA marketing coordinator, Santa's change in venue was prompted by the lines that used to form outside the Bancroft cabin, even in cold weather. At the Welcome Center, there is a lobby where several families can wait their turns and be warm, she pointed out.
Note: A supplementary Stroll activity Nov. 25 will be “Cookies and Caroling” from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Old Colorado City Library. The free activity will start with cookie-decorating at the library, and participants can then carol as a group in Old Colorado City.
Westside Pioneer article
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