City of Vader Parks Board Christmas event

The City of Vader Parks Board is excited to be hosting its first Christmas Tree Lighting and Holiday Bazaar Event.

"I'm really excited to have all of our communities come down and enjoy a small town holiday celebration with some Christmas lights," said Kelly Schey from the Vader Parks Board. "Buying a cup of hot cocoa helps support the parks program and shopping from a local vendor helps our community members! Plus the kids will get a free stocking surprise as well!"

This community event will happen at J.K. Werden Park at 520 A Street in Vader and will have vendors set up across the street from the park inside the Assembly of God Fellowship hall.

The Bazaar runs from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Tree Lighting will be at 6:00 p.m. with the Wreath Drawing to follow.

The Parks Board has tickets available for three large, handcrafted, lighted Christmas themed wreaths. There will be three individual drawings, and you do not have to be present to win. Tickets are $5 a piece or 5 for $20.

Vader Lions club will be handing out a free christmas surprise to each child.

Vendors will be selling hot chocolate, apple cider and specialty coffee. Proceeds from will be donated to Vader Parks.

A Christmas tree was graciously donated from Wikes Nursery.

The City of Vader Parks Board, Vader Lions Club, Vader Assembly of God Church and community members from all over have all been working hard over the last several years to help develop park properties. They have developed them in such a way that it would provide a small-town feel to all of our small communities with a closer to home, healthy form of entertainment, physical activity and social connectivity without having to always travel the long distances that citizens are used to doing.

The development of J.K. Werden Memorial Park has been an exciting dream that the city has seen come to life. It has new exciting playground structures, looped walking pathway, shaded picnicking areas, fencing, new tables and recently paved parking lot has been an amazing addition to both Vader and the neighboring communities, but that's not all.

Outside of the mostly grant funded playground areas, the park board has been working on the upkeep of our first large shelter, bathrooms, kiosks, and 1906 City Jail Museum. This summer to fall, they will have volunteers paint the bathrooms, add gutters to the shelter, and the jail museum has a new foundation and cedar shake roof. New windows will be coming, and so much more, all with the hopes of being able to get it safe and open to the public, once again. Who knows, maybe they can get a "Friends of the Vader City Jail" group up and going again. This group would help collect further research on the old jail, Vader history, set up displays, and be open either upon a scheduled request or on a regular date.

All this fun work, and the Vader Park Board is still not done with Werden Park. They have several not-so-small finishing touches before they can do our official grand opening which the park board hopes can occur late spring or early summer of 2023. The jail and larger shelter needs painting, benches, landscaping, bike rack, and custom signs left to work on.

It's all been accomplished by volunteers like Kelly, Anita and many more. It's fundraising events like this that really help us make this all possible. Please come enjoy a day at Werder Park and all the festivities you can handle.

The Vader Parks Board is looking for more vendors, please contact Kelly or Anita at the numbers or email below. For any questions about the event, how to sign up, purchase tickets, or make a donation, please contact: Kelly at kschey.cityofvader@gmail.com or 503-407-6289; or Anita at akeeney25@gmail.com or 360-441-7598.