Three Pacific Power crews began work at 4:30 a.m. to hang the holiday snowflakes on downtown Grants Pass light poles, carrying out an annual tradition that brings the utility and the city together before the first crowds of the Christmas season arrive. With the installation complete, the snowflakes are up for residents to enjoy on an evening downtown, weeks before the city lights its Christmas tree at Owl Plaza.
Pacific Power crews return each year to hang the decorations on city light poles. The arrangement has continued for years, with the City of Grants Pass and the utility working together to put up a display that residents can see from the sidewalk. For the crews, the work began well before daylight. For families downtown, the result is overhead, part of the streets they already use to meet for dinner, browse storefronts or walk from one block to the next.
Sixth and Seventh streets offer a starting point for a walk through the historic downtown, with G Street connecting the two and leading west toward Fifth Street. From Fifth and G, Owl Plaza is a block south at H Street. Those few blocks give families room to make an evening of the display at their own pace, whether they come downtown specifically to see the snowflakes or take a walk after stopping for a meal. The decorations are already in place for anyone who wants to see them before the December events draw larger crowds.
The first weekend in December will bring two separate gatherings within walking distance of each other. The City of Grants Pass will hold its annual tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 4, at Owl Plaza. The plaza, at Fifth and H streets, serves as public parking during much of the week and can be converted into a gathering space for community events. The tree lighting will bring families and holiday vendors into that space on the first Friday of the month, continuing the city’s customary December schedule.
The following evening, Saturday, Dec. 5, the Grants Pass Christmas Parade will travel along Sixth Street from C Street to L Street. The parade begins at 6 p.m., giving spectators a stretch of several blocks to choose from along the route. With the tree lighting on Friday and the parade on Saturday, the weekend will take residents from a gathering at the plaza to a procession through the center of downtown, where people can watch from the sidewalks.
The snowflakes give the season an earlier start. Long before spectators take their places along Sixth Street, the display is there for an ordinary evening downtown. A walk can start at Sixth and G, turn along the storefronts toward Seventh, or head the other way toward the plaza. The route is short enough to fit around dinner or an errand, with time to slow down and look up along the way.
By the time the Christmas tree is lit and the parade reaches Sixth Street, the snowflakes will have been part of downtown for weeks. Their return began with three crews reporting for work before sunrise. The next part of the tradition happens at street level, as neighbors and families come downtown to see the lights.