A snowman hood ornament sits atop the hood of a lighted car at the Fort Borst Park Christmas Lights in this 2014 Chronicle file photo.
One of the best and brightest of the newish Christmas traditions in Lewis County is twinkling in Fort Borst Park, beckoning you to visit for a creative hit of the holiday spirit.
Every year the drive-through Christmas light display has grown and become more impressive. I’ll admit to having a childlike delight in Christmas lights, and I still marvel at the warmth and power of the little LEDs that have made modern light displays so much brighter and more energy-efficient.
The seventh-annual Borst Park Christmas Light Drive-Thru Display runs nightly from 5-9 p.m. every evening, whatever the weather, until Dec. 26. The price is $3 per car or $2 with a canned food donation — and the price is well worth it.
The lights are the brainchild of Mayor Lee Coumbs, who revived a long-dormant holiday display tradition seven years ago and is still the chief engineer, worker and wrangler of crews to make it all happen.
He repairs the lights, recruits a rotating set of volunteer crew members each night and locks up the gates after the display shuts down each evening.
Still, all the work is worth it for him, said his wife, Bonnie Canaday.
“He just loves it, and he decorated our house with lights and reindeer, too,” she said.
Farewell to the Best Train View in Washington
We sometimes forget that we live in one of the most scenic and beautiful parts of the United States, if not the world. One good reminder of that fact comes when riding the Amtrak train north from Centralia to Seattle. The tracks hug the shoreline of Port Defiance, offering jaw-dropping views of Puget Sound and a unique underside approach to the Tacoma Narrows bridges.
The ride offers views of the Olympic Mountains and even the occasional orca whale. Those 20 miles along Tacoma’s waterfront are the only expansive section of waterfront in the entire Amtrak West Coast route between Seattle and Pisco Beach, Calif., according to The News Tribune.
The route is historic, having opened in 1914. Sadly, that beautiful view is about to become history itself.
On Monday, the Amtrak passenger trains are being rerouted from the picturesque — but slow — route to tracks that run parallel to Interstate 5. The new route will be faster and will also allow for two more runs, creating a total of 12 trains making the trip daily between Seattle and Portland. That route will now take three hours and 20 minutes, with trains hitting up to 79 miles per hour.
Amtrak is also opening a new station in Tacoma to connect with Sound Transit light rail. That entire project, started in 2010, has cost $181 million.
The old route will be dedicated to freight traffic; sensible, since separating passenger and freight trains makes logistical sense.
Still, the loss of those views will make the trip less memorable and picturesque.
Many people have been soaking up the last opportunity to enjoy the historically beautiful route. Last weekend there were hundreds of visitors to Centralia who took the train down from Seattle, stayed in town for a few hours, then took the next train back north to take in the view once again.
Kim Chase, of Centralia, told a News Tribune reporter that she was sad to see the views departing, like a bald eagle that was lifting off from a side alongside the tracks as she spoke.
“This is the Northwest at its best,” she said.
A Very Voetberg Christmas
Last weekend my kids and I stopped by the Centralia Depot for the Winterfest Christmas Market. Amongst the vendors and browsers was some top-notch Christmas music, provided by five members of the Voetberg family band on fiddle, piano and cello.
The Voetbergs have been giving their Christmas concert for six years now, with proceeds benefiting a variety of worthwhile local endeavors. Funds will help restore the Fox Theatre, as well as the Health & Hope Medical Outreach’s free clinics to serve the poor and needy.
You can enjoy the “Voetberg Family Christmas” concerts in the days leading up to Christmas in downtown Centralia’s Liberty Theater on Dec. 21-23.
Their entire extended family (and that’s not a small crowd, folks) will be there, with all sorts of musical varieties and variations on display.
This is what being home for the holidays is all about. I’d encourage you to consider attending this or other Christmas concerts, and be sure to sing some carols yourself.
Hey, did someone mention caroling? Time to ring a doorbell and bust some chords, my friends. Enjoy the chance to spread some cheer — and Merry Christmas to all!
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Brian Mittge will be enjoying the lights and music of Christmas from his family’s home in rural Chehalis. What’s your favorite part of the holidays in Lewis County? Let him know at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
