EAGLE, Idaho — The City of Eagle is bringing its annual Country Christmas celebration back to the heart of downtown after years of construction forced the event to relocate.
With Heritage Park renovations and ACHD's mobility project now complete, this year's celebration marks a return to the event's traditional location after last year's move to City Hall.
WATCH | To learn more about Eagle's annual Christmas tradition—
Laura Williams, City of Eagle Public Information Officer, expressed excitement about the return.
"Last year, it was at City Hall because of the Downtown Mobility Project. We couldn't have a downtown, but we've completed the Downtown mobility project, and the Heritage Park renovation project is mostly done, so it's coming back to Heritage Park to downtown this year," Williams said.
The celebration required replacing the old Christmas tree with a new one.
"The mayor is calling it the tree that could. It replaced the old Christmas tree that was here in the park that, unfortunately, had to be removed because it was dying," Williams said.
"It's small, but it'll get bigger in years to come," Williams said.
Meg Glasgow, owner of Finer Frames, expressed relief about the construction completion and its impact on downtown businesses.
"Oh, I'm so relieved to have the roads back open again. You know, it's been a two-year process, and it's really made it challenging for our customers and the patrons that want to support us downtown businesses to get here as a destination," Glasgow said.
Glasgow praised the city's investment in Heritage Park improvements.
"I know that the city has been working really hard. There's new banners and all the new lights on the new trees in Heritage Park. It's really brought a festive, really fun community spirit to downtown," Glasgow said.
The celebration will close State Street from Eagle Road to 2nd Street to accommodate 70 vendors and community performances at the gazebo.
"We will have Santa here. We'll have reindeer here. The human being will be giving hot chocolate to kids. We'll have kids' activities. There'll be performances, Christmas performances by the community, and also a stuff the truck coat drive by the Eagle Lions Club," Williams said.
Williams encouraged people to donate new and gently used coats, sweaters, socks, scarves, and hats for those in need throughout the Treasure Valley.
Glasgow highlighted the family-friendly atmosphere and business opportunities.
"Oh, it's such a great time to bring the family and really, do fun craft projects. There'll be vendor booths, hot cocoa, and you can see Santa and, shop all the shops in downtown," Glasgow said.
"Most of the shops will be open from 10:00 to 6 on Saturday, so it's a great time to come down and kind of shop around, shop local and support local businesses," Glasgow said.
Treasure Valley Lighting sponsored the event and provided lighting throughout Heritage Park and City Hall.
Glasgow emphasized the event's broader community impact.
"Country Christmas has been such a special community of events, pulling all of Eagle and even people from outside visitors to into downtown, the heart and soul of our city, and it's just been a fabulous event," Glasgow said.
Williams acknowledged competition from other valley events while encouraging community participation.
"Well, we know that there's a lot of choices around the valley this weekend for Christmas events, so we hope that you get time to come down and just enjoy downtown being open, enjoy the downtown businesses, enjoy the holiday market, and you know, just help us welcome in this holiday season," Williams said.
The Country Christmas celebration starts Dec. 6 at 2 p.m., with the tree lighting ceremony scheduled for 6 p.m.
