‘Carol Sing-Along’ aims to spread cheer in downtown Spokane

There’s a 100 percent chance of snow Saturday on Wall Street.

The Downtown Spokane Partnership is hosting caroling on the freshly revamped street between River Park Square and the old Macy’s building. And organizers aren’t leaving conditions up to Mother Nature: They’ll have a snow machine on standby.

“We’re going to make it snow if it isn’t already,” said Elisabeth Hooker, marketing and programming manager for Downtown Spokane.

The caroling event is part of the groups efforts to create more neighborhood-type activities in the downtown area.

It’ll be a participatory event, “where neighbors come together and spread cheer through singing,” Hooker said.

To help with the caroling, characters from Spokane Civic Theatre Academy’s “Charlie Brown Christmas” will sing some songs, and the downtown carolers and members of the Lilac Court will be there, too.

Local musicians from the weekend’s Bartlett Christmas Special will play original holiday tunes. But most of the songs will be old favorites, Hooker said, like “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Santa will be coming to the caroling, of course, arriving on a fire truck. And there will be free pizza from David’s Pizza and hot cocoa.

The caroling is just one of the things the Downtown Spokane Partnership is doing this holiday season. Free carriage rides continue through Christmas Eve, Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and Dec. 24 from noon to 3 p.m.

And, continuing through Tuesday, there’s a scavenger hunt for Charlie’s tree at downtown businesses. Kids pick up a passport at River Park Square or Auntie’s, then look for the trees at participating shops. Once 10 stamps have been collected, participants return the passport for a souvenir and to be entered into a drawing for prizes, including Winter Combo passes to Riverfront Park, gift cards to various downtown shops and restaurants, First Night buttons and passes to National Geographic Live.

“We want to make downtown a destination for families,” Hooker said. “It’s beautiful this time of year.”

Kimberly Lusk