It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: holiday events coming to town this week

Three of the area's most popular Christmas holiday events are coming to town this week. The fun kicks off with the city of Washougal's annual Lighted Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting event on Thursday, Dec. 1. The Lighted Christmas Parade will meander down Washougal's Main Street, with a tree lighting ceremony in Reflection Plaza, beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday. During and after the parade, city staff members will serve complimentary cookies and hot cocoa. Washougal High School's band and choir students will provide musical entertainment. Santa Claus is expected to end the parade and will be available for photos with children and adults. Can't make it to downtown Washougal Thursday evening? You're still in luck as the city plans to livestream the event on its Facebook page at facebook.com/WashougalGov/. Camas to celebrate annual Hometown Holidays The winter holiday fun keeps going with the city of Camas' annual Hometown Holidays celebration, which kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2. Hosted and organized by the Camas Parks & Recreation Department and promoted and supported by the Downtown Camas Association, this year's Hometown Holidays will include photos with Santa (visitors should bring their own cameras), crafts and activities, hay rides, music by student choirs and bands, dance performances, free hot cocoa sponsored by Journey Church, holiday shopping, food vendors and art shows. The free event, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m., also will feature the annual lighting of the Christmas tree, which will be located in front of the Liberty Theatre on Northeast Fourth Avenue. "This is one of our community's favorite events and we're so happy to bring it back in its full festive form," said Krista Bashaw, the city of Camas' special events coordinator. "After 21 years of organizing this event, I know it gets us in the mood for the holidays, and it brings our community together to share some of the joy of the season." The Camas School District is providing a free shuttle this year, at four color-coded parking lots within one mile of downtown Camas. The shuttle route will stop at each of the parking lots and will drop off riders on the street between Camas City Hall and the Camas Public Library on Northeast Fourth Avenue. The shuttle is free. For more information about the shuttle, visit cityofcamas.us/parks; and click on the "Special Events" tab. For more information about the Hometown Holidays event, visit cityofcamas.us/parksrec/page/hometown-holidays-0 Camas library book sale set for Dec. 1-4 Set to coincide with the Hometown Holidays event, the Friends and Foundation of the Camas Library's winter book sale also will take place this week. The sale will be held on the second floor of the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., in downtown Camas, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. The books will cost $1 for all paperbacks and children's books and $2 for hardbound books. On Sunday, Dec. 4, shoppers can fill a shopping bag with books for $5. The sale also will have a selection of more valuable books, priced as marked. The Friends and Foundation group bills its books sales as offering "one-of-a-kind finds and new discoveries" with "hundreds of books ... with topics ranging from cookbooks and fiction to children's literature and history." All proceeds from the book sale will support the Camas Public Library. Christmas Ships coming to town The holiday fun keeps rolling in Camas-Washougal on Saturday, Dec. 3, with the arrival of the beloved Christmas Ships on the Washougal waterfront. The combined fleet -- lighted, decorated boats from the Columbia River Fleet and the Willamette River Fleet -- will assemble in front of the Port of Camas-Washougal at 6 p.m. Saturday, parade in the area for about one hour, then make its way back to Portland along the Washington side of the Columbia River, arriving in the Portland-Vancouver area around 8:30 p.m. before mooring for the night. Viewing will be available at all of the Port of Camas-Washougal's park properties along the Washougal waterfront, near the Port's headquarters at 24 S. "A" St., Washougal. For more information, visit christmasships.org.

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