McCloud’s Old Fashioned Christmas kicks off Dec 3rd

McCloud's Old Fashion Christmas

The old lumber mill village of McCloud is a happening place come Christmas time. The folks there love to throw events, so get on over the hill from Mt. Shasta and enjoy a small town holiday celebration. The fun begins Friday, Dec 3rd with the Old Fashioned Christmas at 6 p.m. at the McCloud Heritage Museum on Main Street. McCloud will open its doors in celebration of the holiday season, and the local merchants really get into the holiday spirit. You’ll find lots of decorations and twinkle lights, in a rustic, adorable town that’s already blanketed in snow this year. For the Old Fashioned Christmas and Tree Lighting, folks can visit with Santa Claus, warm up around the bonfire, join in the caroling, wander through businesses and open houses, and generally bask in the holiday spirit.

To dress up the town even more this year, stores, restaurants and inns will be participating in the Fantasy Christmas Table Setting Contest. They’ll set up their displays Dec 4th -11th to add to the festive appearance.

On Saturday, Dec 4th you can join in a traditional fall Italian Barbecue at Arusta. This event will feature a bonfire, outdoor cooking and musicians playing into the night.

The following Saturday, Dec 11th, sit down for the Snow Ball Dinner and Dance at the McCloud Mercantile Hotel on Main Street. Enjoy a prime rib and chicken dinner at 7pm, with hor d’oeuvres starting at 6pm and dancing to follow dinner. While you’re there, take a stroll through the Hotel – usually management will let you check out the unoccupied rooms in this old building where each room has been uniquely decorated.

White Christmas!

It’s a snowy Christmas here in the land around Mt. Shasta. Yesterday, Wed, Dec 17th, the skies cleared in the Mt. Shasta area and we got to see a mountain freshly draped in snow. Out in the Shasta Valley it was foggy and cold, with a blanket of snow on the ground. With snow levels down to 400 feet forecasted for the storm coming today, Thurs, Dec 18th, the whole of Siskiyou County should be enjoying a white Christmas.

While we do love the white stuff, be sure to be careful and prepared if you’re traveling through Siskiyou County. With a series of storms coming through Siskiyou County, check the weather report before you travel and come prepared. You can check the Siskiyou County road report (530.842.4438), which gives detailed info for Highways 97, 89 and 3, as well as Interstate 5. Carry chains, extra food, water and clothing in your vehicle in case you get stuck in traffic or parked due to bad road conditions.

Do your best to enjoy the snow and Happy Holidays!

Things to do in the days before Christmas

In the days leading up to the holiday there are plenty of festival things to do in South Siskiyou County. Here are a few suggestions:

• Acoustic Bluegrass Thursday night at the Weed Alehouse: Sample the tasty Mt. Shasta Brewing Co. brews, now famous for their “Try Legal Weed” bottle caps.  Friday night is Blues Band Friday. Live music Thurs and Fri evenings from 6-9pm at 360 College Ave in Weed. Call 938.2394 for info.

• Open Mic Poetry night: Thurs, Dec 18th at the Stage Door in Mt. Shasta. Readings from 7-9pm. If you’d like to join in with the local poets, arrive at 6:30pm to sign up to read.

• Christmas Carol Sing Along: At this traditional family event you can join your voice with the choir to sing Christmas songs. Well know local musicians Kathy Zavada, Anton Mizerak and Erik Burglund will lead the group event. There is also a silent auction that will benefit an unnamed local family  for the holiday. Fri, Dec 19th at 7pm at St. Barnabas Church at 701 Lassen Lane in Mt. Shasta.

• Mt. Shasta Downtown Merchants open Friday night: Businesses will be staying open until 7pm for extended holiday shopping. The Girl Scouts will be caroling to add to the festival atmosphere.

• Kids gift making in McCloud: Kids can make their own holiday gifts at the Kids Holiday Gift Making Day and Lunch at the McCloud Resource Center on Sat, Dec 20th from 10am to 2pm at 304 W. Minnesota Ave. For ages 5-12, includes pizza and a movie. Call 964.3250 for info.

• Santa on Ice: Saint Nic will take to the ice at the Siskiyou Ice Rink in Mt. Shasta on Sat, Dec 20th for Santa on Ice.  Kids can get their photo taken with Santa, who will arrive at 2pm. Siskiyou Ice Rink is located at 800 Rockfellow Drive in Mt. Shasta.

• Kid’s Factory Holiday Gift Making offers kids another opportunity to make gifts, and includes pizza and a movie. For age 5 to 12, from 10am to 2pm at the Kids’ Factory at 4103 Pine Street in Dunsmuir.

Family Christmas tree cutting – do it at least once

An outing into the woods for a Christmas tree is a wonderful family tradition, and an experience the kids will remember for a lifetime. The peaceful quiet amid the dark trunks of pines, firs and cedars and pale, crisp blue sky create the setting – and if you hurry you can cut in woods free from snow. Going into the woods to pick out and cut a Christmas tree is an experience a family shares and kids remember for a lifetime. It’s something everybody should do once in their life (then you can go back to a plastic tree to conserve).

Finding the best tree is all about elevation. You’ll want to get above 5,000’ to find silver tips, the fir tree with short, upturned needles that is the holiday standard. Above 6,000’ you can find the Shasta red fir – this is a great year for red firs because the typical deep layer of snow hasn’t set in yet. Ponderosa pines live at lower elevations, and a mid elevations you’ll find white pines, which have shorter needles than the ponderosa.

Most Christmas tree cutting is done in the vicinity of Mount Shasta, with the Military Pass Road off Highway 97 being the most popular area for cutting. To the west of the city of Mt. Shasta, the South Fork Road and Castle Lake area are also popular. If you’re heading up Everitt Memorial Highway on the slopes of Mount Shasta be sure to get details from the Forest Service about the cutting restrictions in this area. Outside of McCloud there are a few areas for tree cutting, which see much less traffic. Pilgrim Creek Road is maintained to the snowmobile park and is a good area for white firs. If Forest Service Road 15 to Medicine Lake is plowed, this can be a good area as well. Farther north, on the Klamath National Forest, the Goosenest area has long been a destination for Christmas tree cutting for folks in the Yreka area.

To make this a special family outing, come prepared for anything, especially changing weather. While out in the woods, use the buddy system for kids and adults. As you’re traveling through the forest look ahead and behind for landmarks so you can find your way out, as roads tend to look the same after awhile. Make sure you bring plenty of warm clothing, hat and gloves, warm drinks and food to keep everyone warm and happy in your search for the perfect tree. Finding just that right tree can be an all day event.

Additional tips:
• Prepare for cold weather when going Christmas tree cutting: bring emergency food, water, warm clothes, flashlight, tire chains, shovel, and have a full tank of gas in your 4-wheel drive vehicle.
• Bring a bow saw, rope and tarp to transport the tree.
• Know Forest Service regulations: do not cut within 100-feet of any road or campground, only cut a tree that has a main trunk diameter of four-inches or less, cut trees within 12-inches of the ground and do not top trees.
• Cut your tree early in the season before many of the popular cutting areas become snowbound.

Christmas tree cutting permits ($10) are available from any Ranger Station on the Forest. The Mt. Shasta Ranger Station will be open on the three Saturdays following Thanksgiving, but expect a line. You can also mail the Forest headquarters in Redding to obtain a permit.

If you find yourself in Mt. Shasta with bad weather closing in, don’t worry. The Boy Scouts sell trees in town at The Fifth Season, on the corner of Lake Street and Mt. Shasta Boulevard, on the three weekends following Thanksgiving.

To learn more about winter recreation, lodging and dining services in these areas, go to www.visitsiskiyou.org or call the local visitors bureaus: Mt. Shasta Visitors Bureau 530.926.4865; McCloud Visitors Bureau 530.964.3113; Yreka Visitors Bureau 530.842.1649.

Contact info:
Shasta Trinity Forest Headquarters: 3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002-9241, 530.226.2500.
Mt. Shasta Ranger Station: 204 West Alma St., Mt. Shasta, CA 96067, 530.926.4511
McCloud Ranger Station: POB 1620 McCloud, CA 96057, 530.964.2184.
Klamath National Forest Headquarters: 1312 Fairlane Road, Yreka, CA 96097, 530.841.4569 or 841.4476

Yreka’s Tasty-Q for yummy holiday gifts

I stopped in at the Tasty-Q in Yreka’s Chamber of Commerce this weekend and was delighted by the colorful display of gift boxes put together by Wini and Terry. These gals have been wrapping like crazy – putting together towers of shimmering boxes filled with goodies like peanut brittle, peppermint bark, chocolate covered bananas, toffee peanuts, Miner’s Munch and peanut butter pretzels.

I brought home some Miner’s Mucnh, their mix of caramel corn, peanuts, almonds, chocolate drizzled caramel corn and other goodies. It went quickly in our house. We’re holding on to the peanut brittle for Thanksgiving Day.

Mom and I toured the store and browsed a great selection of locally and regionally made goods. There were sauces from the Klamath River Barbeque Company, Jefferson State Foods, regional olive oils, Terry’s Willow Creek Foods jalepeno jams, Biancia’s Spreads, and dipping sauces, including the one called “strawberry horsebite” that’s a strawberry horseradish sauce. Yum (I think – I’ve heard that it’s not too hot). Don’t miss Hot Lips Raspberry Chipotle Sauce – it is sooo good (I put it on bagels with cream cheese). A cute, old fashioned red shopping cart full of Miner’s Munch beckoned, and beyond that there were shelves of Camille Beckman body lotion. 

Wini and Terry had also just finished their Miner’s Much Beer Bread: the big beer bottle is full of the baking mix and the directions are on the label. Wini said they had a heck of time getting the flour into the bottle, but you just pour it out and mix it up for a wonderful bread.

The Tasty-Q is also a great place to stop for lunch or a snack if you’re in downtown Yreka. It’s an old fashioned soda fountain with Bud’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, banana splits and sundaes, as well as a lunch counter.

The Tasty-Q is on the corner of Broadway and Miner Streets in downtown Yreka. Stop by, or call 530.842.9729 to order a gift box.

Growing Yreka Holiday Craft Fair offers activites for kids, too

The 2008 Siskiyou Holiday Craft Fair at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds in Yreka has been expanded this year, offering three buildings of crafters’ unique products and a Kid’s Corral, with activities for little ones while their parents shop the fair. The big day is Saturday, November 22nd from 9am-3pm at the Fairgrounds, just off Interstate 5.

Arrive ready to shop, as the list of vendors is quite long. You’ll see booths by Gourds in Harmony, Rainbow Products, Loris Taylor Originals, Willow Creek Foods, Jimi’s Treasures, and wildlife paintings by P. Steele Roberts Ross. Also on the list are: Was Concept, RWB Mountain Ranch, Gary & Nancy Bowen, Millie Ferlatte, Viola’s Garden, Dave’s Sheet Metal, Good Smells Soap Co., Fiddler Wrap, Stensaas Images, Green Springs Bodyworks,  We’re All Nuts!, Shadow Mountain Woodworks, Force for Life Candles, River’s Edge Windchimes & Crafts, Julie’s Pantry & Deluxe Confectionery, Sil’s Potpourri and Katrina’s Cards. That’s just a handful of the regional crafters and artisans who will be attending the Craft Fair. Use the link above to see a complete, and frequently updated list.

Over in the Kids Corral families can sit down together to make a craft item together, or the parents can leave the tots with the Junior Fair Boards’ experience childcare staff. The kids can watch holiday movies and they’ll be visited by Santa. The childcare service is a benefits for the Junior Fair Boards scholarship program, so it’s $3 per half hour.

As you’re shopping for Christmas gifts, wonderful foods, and home decor, you may work up a powerful hunger. Don’t worry, The Friends of the Fair will have a food concession with homemade goodies to get you through a full day of shopping.

Dunsmuir Holiday Craft Fair Sat, Nov 8th

It’s time to get in the holiday spirit – after all, the Christmas decor, wrapping paper and ribbons are on the shelves at Rite Aid. Take the time this Saturday to spend your time and money supporting local crafters and artisans while getting goodies for folks on your Christmas shopping list. I’m calling my mom for this so we can check it out together. The Annual Dunsmuir Holiday Craft Fair is from 10am to 4pm this Saturday, Nov 8th at the Dunsmuir Community Building (that’s on the north end of town by the swimming pool). Blankets, jewelry, pressed-flower crafts, handmade cards, pillows, wooden Christmas ornaments, doll clothing, festive recycled art, scrapbooking items, baked goods and houseplants are on the list of items.

The 31st Annual Holiday Craft Fair is a benefit for the Dunsmuir Rotary, which supports local youth projects.

Out in Montague, the Holiday Magic Christmas Craft Show is set for Friday, Nov 7th (6-9pm) and Sat, Nov 8th (10am-3pm) in the Montague Community Building with crafters, artists, specialty foods and live music.

Coming up Dec 5th and 6th is the big craft fair, the 12th Annual Country Christmas Holiday Craft Fair at College of the Siskiyous in Weed. Filling the gym, the show is a celebration of handcrafted works by local and regional crafters and artisans. You’ll see candles, jewlery, ornaments, soaps, wreaths, glass and wood products, and foods, including local honey. The Fair is Fri, Dec 5th from 5-8pm and Sat, Dec 6th from 9am-3pm at the campus in Weed.