Olde Town Arvada's annual holiday had a quintessential backdrop. With the Arvada Chorale slated to sing at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, light snow started falling shortly after 5 p.m. as temperatures stayed in the 20s.
"Hey! Welcome!" Arvada Marc Williams greeted the crowd after the chorale's performance. "Is this weather perfect for a tree lighting or what?"
The crowd cheered.
Arvada celebrated its 25th annual Lagniappe.
"Lagniappe is an old tradition where merchants give their customers a little something extra with their purchase," explained Karen Miller, owner of Paws N Play and president of the Business Improvement District. "And that is what our merchants like to do today. This is a special day for us all."
New this year was an eggnog and cider competition with 15 businesses participating, from eggnog ice cream at Scrumptious to eggnog whoopie pies at Global Goods & Coffee, and alcoholic drinks at School House Kitchen & Libations that included a cider with the restaurant's speciality bourbon.
Homegrown Tap & Dough took first place for its eggnog, and Kline's Beer Hall won the cider competition.
Firefighters held a chili cookoff at Kline's Beer Hall to raise money for the 9/11 fund.
Other events included visits with Santa in the library, horse-drawn carriage rides around Olde Town and a decorated plate contest at the Fire pottery studio.
"The most important part of Lagniappe to me is the merchants stay open late to welcome you," Miller said.
Before the tree lighting, Williams took a moment to boast about Olde Town.
"This is such a special night," Williams said. "It's so heartwarming to see you all here tonight. ... There's so many great places for you to go to here in Olde Town, so many incredible restaurants, great spots, great shops -- this place is unique in all of the Denver metropolitan area. We're so proud of Olde Town Arvada."
He asked any children in the audience who wanted to help with the tree lighting countdown to join him in front of the tree. They counted down from 10 and when the tree lit up, the crowd cheered.
"Merry Christmas, everyone, happy holidays," Williams said after the lights came on.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Arvada-Lagniappe-celebrates-25-years-with-new-events,240394
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