Family festival features Santa, skating, and spectacular fireworks

Twenty-thousand people are expected to kick-off the holiday season this year at Thornton's WinterFest. This annual event is a unique and fun experience for the whole family. WinterFest takes place at Thornton's Multipurpose Fields located at 108 th and Colorado Blvd. on:

* Friday, December 14, from 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
* Saturday, December 15, from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
* Sunday, December 16, from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

WinterFest features Santa's Village, covering more than three acres with 360 holiday trees, 120,000 lights, a skating 'pond,' and seven custom-built holiday buildings featuring:

* Santa and Mrs. Claus' House, where kids can visit with the jolly old elf
* Elf Workshop
* Gingerbread House (with free gingerbread cookies)
* Fire House
* Moose Inn
* Mercantile
* School House

Enjoy caroling by local choirs, a holiday marketplace for a variety of last minute gifts (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.), a holiday concert, a craft show, a children's craft shoppe, a tent dedicated to Holiday Traditions from Around the World, ice sculpting, the North Pole Nibbles Food Court, a community tree decorating contest, fire pits to warm-up by, a mistletoe arch, and walk-around entertainment. Saturday night concludes with a holiday concert by Timothy P. Irvin and the Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers (7 p.m.), followed by a spectacular fireworks show at 8:30 p.m., one of the few December fireworks displays in Colorado!

Come back on Sunday evening for more holiday fun including a holiday movie in the big tent.

Go to www.cityofthornton.net/rec/EventSchedule.asp for a complete schedule.