Kindness shines at Wasco Christmas Festival

The Rose Festival Group and Orange Heart Foundation, in partnership with the City of Wasco, hosted the Wasco Christmas Festival on Saturday, with this year's theme, "Kindness Shines." The event featured a parade with over 50 entries, a vendor fair, a kids corner with games, crafts and a train ride and a lighting ceremony, where Miss Wasco Rose Queen Rihanna Sanchez lit the 20-foot tree. This year, the 2024 Wasco High School Valley Champion cheer and Tiger wrestling teams and the JV and sophomore Bengals football teams were honored for their athletic achievements.

"After three successful years in front of Wasco High, we were so excited to partner with the city this year and bring the Wasco Christmas Festival to the new downtown plaza. The tree was gorgeous, and it is exciting to know that we will have it to enjoy for years to come," Sharon Sharp of the Rose Festival Group said.

Hundreds of spectators lined the streets of downtown to watch the parade after kicking off the festivities by shopping, eating and visiting Santa at the city's center. D'mitri Harrison said of the parade, "I enjoyed that it was an hour long. My family all came down from Bakersfield to enjoy it too. My 95-year-old grandpa attended."

She added that events like this contribute to a sense of community. "It brings everybody out. It's positive and creates an uplifting environment. It's good for the kids. I get to see people I grew up with. I love the small-town feel; I loved it."

Teresa Burke Elementary School's leadership class and Student Council students participated in the parade with a float they decorated in line with the festival's theme, adding as many lights as they could and making kindness posters and handcrafted ornaments with kindness quotes to show how they felt about kindness.

Hillary Kitts, a 1st-grade teacher and leadership class advisor who oversaw the project, said the students were thrilled to be on the float. "They sang Christmas songs, shouting 'Merry Christmas' to everyone. It had a great vibe and was very positive. I loved it because I told them the theme, and they came up with the ideas of how to put it all together."

Wasco High School varsity cheerleader Ava Melendrez felt honored to be celebrated at the s festival. "It is really amazing because cheer is a sport where we typically root for other people, so it's a nice little change for our cheer family. It just feels nice to be recognized."

Aaron Ayala of the Wasco Bengals said he felt jolly, excited and happy about the occasion. "Especially after working so hard. It's great to be here with my team, friends and family."

The grand finale was the lighting in the downtown plaza, performed by the Rose Queen, Rihanna Sanchez. "Lighting the tree is a special moment for me to bring the spirit of the holidays to Wasco," she said.