Henderson hosts its annual WinterFest

WinterFest returns to the Water Street District this weekend with new events and a different line up.

Henderson plans to celebrate "An Old-Fashioned Christmas Delight" Friday and Saturday at the Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St.

At 6 p.m. Friday, the city plans to kick off the festivities with a tree-lighting ceremony . At 7 p.m., the Henderson Symphony Orchestra plans to perform its "Sounds of the Season" concert.

The festival, which runs until 9 p.m. Friday, features activities such as a Santa slide, pony rides and a carousel. However, there will not be any artificial snow on the plaza this year.

For the first time, the festival will feature a miniature Christmas village that was assembled by Margo Sak, a member of the city's cultural arts and tourism department.

The display features hundreds items including ice rinks, buildings, Christmas trees, townspeople, cars, mountains and trains.

Sak received her first piece 45 years ago.

"It has grown bigger and bigger from there," Sak said.

Sak had always invited people to her home to see her display.

"Everyone would be excited to see it," Sak said. "I'd empty out the living room and dining room to set up the display."

This year, Sak offered to set up the display . Staff members loved the idea.

"I've spent close to 45 hours setting it up," Sak said. "The space is a lot more spacious than what I usually have."

The display is broken up into sections, with each section representing a city. Sak has collected items from Chicago, including Wrigley Field and The Art Institute of Chicago; the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from New York; and the Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown from San Francisco.

Sak has even taken figures and altered them slightly to represent Henderson and Mount Charleston .

"I just used my imagination," Sak said.

A hospital figurine, for instance, was given the emblem of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. Sak also made some of the miniature businesses and shops look like shops along Water Street.

The newer part of Green Valley was represented with The District at Green Valley Ranch, which features shops surrounding a cobblestone street.

The display is set up inside the Pinnacle Building, 203 S. Water St.

Nicole Johnson, a spokeswoman with the city of Henderson's cultural arts and tourism department, said gingerbread houses being created by school children are expected to be set up in the same room.

From noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, people are invited to day two of WinterFest.

All the same activities from Friday are expected to be back with a few additions.

Characters from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" are slated to make an appearance Saturday. Members of the Las Vegas Shakespeare Company plan to dress up as Tiny Tim, Ebenezer Scrooge and other characters.

"We have had a great relationship with the Shakespeare company," Johnson said. "They are fabulous to work with."

Johnson said two stages are expected to host performances from children's and youth groups.

This year, the parade is at 5 p.m. Saturday on Water Street. According to Johnson, there are about 30 applicants signed up for this year's parade.

In order to be considered a float, at least 50 percent of the entry must be lighted .

The city plans to announce the first-, second- and third-place winners of the best float contest at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, visit hendersonlive.com.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.