Snoqualmie’s Railway Community Park was, with few exceptions, a standing-room-only venue Saturday, as an unprecedented crowd filled the park. They formed long, snaking lines for wagon rides and refreshments, and packed into the gazebo or stood on picnic tables and picnic benches for a glimpse of the Timber Ridge Elementary School choir performance, and, for those lucky enough to be near the path Santa cut to the tree-lighting platform, they exchanged greetings and high-fives with the jolly old elf himself.
“Best Santa sighting ever,” several parents announced after he had been whisked into the gazebo to pose for photos. “He walked right past us!”
Santa wasn’t the only star of the evening, though. Families also crowded around the shelter to hear the Sno-Valley Winds band and met the return of each wagon with pats for the horses. And the thousands of lights, installed by city staff starting in early November, were an attraction themselves. There were also wagon rides, plus a visit from Father Christmas, over at Carmichael’s Hardware and Variety, the sponsor of the horses’ appearance.
Organizers estimated the crowd at more than 1,200 people.
Next week, Snoqualmie will add more winter magic, with the opening of its skating rink, Dec. 10 on King Street.