Rathdrum D’Lights Festival a delight indeed

RATHDRUM – Falling snow added the perfect touch to Rathdrum’s December D’Lights Winter Festival Saturday. Holiday music filled the air as excited children raced to take part in the craft activities, eat a hot dog or make a snow angel. Groups gathered around fire pits scattered throughout the park, enjoying the music and visiting with one another – brushing off the thickly-falling snow every now and then.

As evening approached, the park took on the look and feel of a Christmas card scene, as thousands of Christmas lights, luminarias, (made by children earlier in the day), candy canes and other lighted decorations added their special glow. Following the musical program, Mayor Elect Vic Holmes welcomed the crowd, thanked the city and the chamber of commerce for sponsoring the event and asked his granddaughter to light the community Christmas tree.

Shortly after the tree lit up the night, a Lakeland Fire Department truck decorated with thousands of colorful lights, led the Lighted Rig Parade away from the park. Reindeer hitched to the front of a fire truck provided the extra power needed to pull Santa through snow-covered streets, while firemen called out “Merry Christmas” to those gathered along the parade route.

A crowd favorite was a Lakeland School District bus lighted up to look like a giant reindeer; and one truck pulled an open trailer filled with carolers who shared Christmas carols along the way. Other rigs, mostly trucks, sported lights and blow-up animations, and many threw candy to snow-covered kids waiting along the way.