15th Annual Festival of Lights has something for everyone

PATTY WILLIAMS
FOR THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

Mid-Multnomah county’s world-renowned national sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, The Grotto, presents its 15th annual Festival of Lights. With over a half million lights, dozens of fiber optic displays, and 142 choral concerts over the 31 day run, the Festival of Lights welcomes all that seek the true spirit and meaning of Christmas. The Grotto plaza is pictured in full Festival of Lights splendor for the holidays. In the background is the Chapel of Mary, site of nightly coral concerts during the festival. PHOTO BY JIM BUDLONG

Expecting to welcome over 50,000 visitors this year, The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights opens Friday, November 29th, and continues nightly through Monday, December 30, 2002 (closed Christmas Day). The festival theme this year is “Tidings of Comfort and Joy,” in honor of the true message that this celebration of Christmas brings to our community, and has now for fifteen years.

The gates for this ecumenical event are open nightly from 5:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Admission is $6.00/adults and $3.00/children (three to 12 years of age). Children age 2 and under are admitted free. Visitors are asked to bring a donation of canned or dry food to benefit Snow Cap, mid county’s emergency food ministry. The Grotto is located at Northeast 85th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard.

Be sure to stop by the Visitor Complex and record your own words for the Christmas Trees of Hope. Everyone is invited to write down their hopes during this holiday season and decorate one of the Trees of Hope with their words, creating a collage of the hopes and dreams of our community. While at the Visitor Complex, visitors have an opportunity to enter a drawing for a variety of prizes donated by business from throughout the area. The Grand Prize this year is two round-trip tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies, including two nights hotel accommodations at any Choice Hotels International (donated by Quality Inn).

As always, The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights blends the sights, sounds, and emotions which are so much a part of the holiday season. The festival features holiday music concerts, spectacular lighting displays, a dramatic living history theater program, and family entertainment for all ages. Widely recognized as the largest holiday choral festival in the western United States, this year The Grotto’s celebration offers 142 indoor music concerts performed by many of the region’s finest school, church and civic choral groups. Included in the elite group of choirs who have performed for every year the festival has been in existence is our own Parkrose High School. Concerts are presented hourly each night in The Grotto’s Chapel of Mary, known for its cathedral quality acoustics. You can log on to www.thegrotto.org for a schedule of the performances.

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