Snow in Christmas forecast for Yuma
Historic park hosts Centennial Christmas Village Dec. 16-23
YUMA, ARIZONA – Santa will arrive in this desert town a week early this year with a rare treat for kids of all ages – enough snow to blanket a sledding hill!
The sledding venue will be part of a magical Centennial Christmas Village at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park. The Village will also feature a trip back in time aboard the “Heritage Express” train, which will tour the brightly-lit historic buildings of the park to experience Christmas traditions in 1912, the year Arizona became a state.
Sponsored by Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and Yuma Visitors Bureau, the Village will be open from Dec. 16-23 daily. Hours are 5-9 p.m. except Dec. 16, when the public is welcome from 7 to 9 p.m.
The entire park – and a special kid-sized village of fanciful walk-in playhouses – will be decorated with thousands of sparkling lights and other holiday decor. Each playhouse will offer a free activity – for example, kid-friendly holiday crafts in the Arizona Western College schoolhouse and old-time “bank robber” photos in the Foothills Bank. Santa will also be on hand for visits and photos.
Entertainment will be offered nightly, along with food and drink vendors and shopping for homemade holiday gifts at the new Pioneer Craft Market, a showcase for local crafters.
A “Polar Pass” good for unlimited Centennial Christmas Village admissions all week long is $5 and includes the train ride and all activities except sledding. Punch passes good for half a dozen rides down the sledding hill cost $5. Children 5 and younger are admitted free and sled free with an adult.
Discounts are available on advance purchase Polar Passes through December 1. For more information, to volunteer, or to find out how to be a entertainer or vendor, contact Kimberley at 928-376-0100 (email Kim@visityuma.com).
Yuma Visitors Bureau markets the Yuma area within the travel and tourism industry and to the general public. Direct travel spending in Yuma County totaled more than $566 million in 2010, supported nearly 5,800 jobs and generated $36.3 million in state and local tax revenues.
Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is an independent nonprofit corporation governed by a local board of directors. It was among the first national heritage areas in the West officially designated by the U.S. Congress. The Heritage Area's master plan projects earned the Governor's Arizona Preservation Award in 2009. For more information, call 928-373-5198 or visit www.yumaheritage.com.
A longtime favorite with sun-seeking snowbirds, Yuma's population nearly doubles in the winter months, thanks to more than 23,000 spots in RV parks and resorts. The community also offers nearly 4,000 hotel rooms, conference and meeting facilities, and three casinos. For more details about Yuma's year-round attractions, special events - and the rarely "cloudy with a chance of tacos" forecast* - visit www.visityuma.com or call 800-293-0071.
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* Yuma hotel guests will eat free every day the sun doesn't shine from Aug. 1, 2011 until July 31, 2012! For more information on our Centennial "free board" promotion, call us.
CONTACT:
Media contact: Ann Walker, 928-376-0100 (office), 928-210-9044 (cell), ann@visityuma.com
Event contact: Kimberley Ahuactzin, 928-376-0100 (office), (928) 580-0002, kim@visityuma.com
Visitor Information Center: 1-800-293-0071
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