Festive Holiday décor, the Tree For Peace, BINGO, Carolers and a special appearance by Santa Claus are all proceeding downtown in an effort to spread cheer and encourage supporting local businesses during the 2020 holiday season.
This holiday season, the Salinas City Center Improvement Association (SCCIA) is Lighting Up Downtown Salinas with the help of Taylor Fresh Foods and the SCC Business Association. To harmonize with the garland wrapped light poles and big seasonal bows one can currently find downtown, Taylor Fresh Foods donated 22 festive, potted and sustainable, trees all of which are presently lit up and lining the streets of Oldtown. The SCC Business Association is working with the downtown merchants in coordinating the decorating of each unique tree. At the end of the holiday season the potted trees will be returned to the nursery from which they were rented and planted back into the earth or reused for another event or similar purpose.
In addition to adding décor to the downtown area, on Tuesday, November 24th, the Salinas City Center Improvement Association, in partnership with CSUMB @ Salinas City Center, will be virtually lighting the Tree For Peace, the final touch to the festive decor that is Lighting Up Downtown Salinas this holiday season! Although the lighting ceremony will be virtual this year, in an effort to practice social distancing, the SCCIA is anticipating people will come downtown to support local businesses and make a stop by the Tree For Peace for a quick family selfie. The tree will be the largest it has ever been and definitely worth the in-person visit.
But the holiday fun doesn’t stop there. On Saturday, November 28th, the SCCIA suggests you make lunch reservations between 12 Noon and 12:45PM at one of the several local eateries along Main Street to ensure you do not miss a special guest appearance from Santa Claus. He will be cruising Main with the Salinas Fire Department waving to all who come out to see him and support Shop Small Saturday! There will also be Carolers, courtesy of the Salinas City Center Business Association, providing some cheery Shop Small Saturday entertainment.
In addition to all the holiday events and décor, Salinas City Center BINGO is still in play! Be sure to pick up your BINGO card, if you don’t have one already. For details on how to play CLICK HERE! You could be the lucky winner of $200 worth of gift cards to some of your favorite Downtown Salinas businesses.
BINGO cards are available for pick-up at the below locations:
- Blue Aces Bake Shoppe
- Furey’s Oldtown Barber
- Maxfit Meals
- 831 For Men
- Bliss Boutique
- Central Barks Salon
- Steinbeck Real Estate / Steinbeck Mortgage
- Downtown Gift Shop
- Downtown Book & Sound
- Cherry Bean Coffee
- The Beerded Bean
- Starbucks Taylor Farms
- Cooks Photography
- Head Over Heels
- XL Public House
- Aquablue Day Spa
This year, it is more important than ever to support our local shops and restaurants. In an effort to make shopping and dining downtown more convenient and calm, the Main Street Streetscape Improvement construction will be pausing for the holiday season starting the evening of November 24th and resuming in early January 2021. The Salinas City Center Improvement Association is encouraging everyone to take a walk downtown to see how the local businesses decorate the trees, to enjoy the lights along Main Street, and check out the downtown improvements that are already completed including the reopening of the 200 Block which was converted into 2-way traffic, but most importantly they want you to come downtown and support local businesses and to shop small this holiday season.