Ephrata celebrates the holidays

EPHRATA - Ephrata residents officially kicked off their holiday season over the weekend during the town's Miracle on Main Street Holiday Festival.

The annual celebration began Saturday morning with a benefit breakfast at the Ephrata Senior Center for the Ephrata Food Bank. Ephrata Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angie Duffner said the day's festivities also included the annual Jingle Bell Fun Run, pictures with Santa, kid's crafts and live music.

The celebration ended with the lighted Christmas Parade in downtown Ephrata, she said.

Duffner said the best part of the annual festival is seeing the community come together to celebrate the holidays. Miracle on Main Street is set up to give everybody something to do, regardless of their interests, she said.

It's also nice that local businesses and organizations help out during the event, she said.

"Everybody really plays a part," she said.

Alayna Lodi, public relations director for Columbia Basin Hospital and one of the event's organizers, said she remembers going to the holiday festival every year as a kid. Now, she said she enjoys seeing today's generation participate in the event.

"It's great to see parents bringing their kids out, and seeing the kids get so excited over everything," Lodi said. "It really brings our community together."

Lodi said the highlight of the festival is always the lighted Christmas Parade. This year, the parade had about 11 official entries, she said.

Most of those entries were last minute entries.

"A few days ago, we only had about three entries," she said. "It was nice to see local businesses and groups participate and sign up for the parade."

The Barry Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership won first place in the parade, Classy Cuts won second place and the Ephrata Fire Department won third place, Lodi said.