If you're looking for a bit of festive cheer early, take a look inside the businesses, churches and civic centres around Port Coquitlam.
Starting Friday, 80 Christmas trees festooned with lights, beads and trinkets will be scattered around the city for the third annual PoCo Heritage Christmas Tree Festival.
And the fest, which officially launches Saturday afternoon at Leigh Square Community Arts Village, has a special feature that includes a chance for the public to win prizes — just as the gift-giving season gets into full swing.
PoCo Heritage has placed ornaments marked with the Tree Festival logo on 30 trees for a scavenger hunt. To find those ornaments at the six designated locations, participants can pick up a printed form at PoCo Heritage (2248 McAllister Ave.) by the Jan. 5 deadline.
Among the prizes up for grabs are a paint-splatter party for 10 guests from 4Cats Arts Studio, a boat ride for two on the Fraser River courtesy of Forrest Marine and a dinner for four at Me-n-Ed's Pizza Parlour.
But for people not wanting to play, PoCo Heritage is also handing out ballots for anyone wanting to vote on their favourite tree. That contest also ends Jan. 5.
Those with a tree up — in the north and south sides of the city — include MLA Mike Farnworth, the Terry Fox Foundation, the Royal Canadian Legion branch 133, Citadel middle school and the PoCo 4th Scouts.
The 80 trees are sited at 10 locations around town:
• Leigh Square Community Arts Village (18)
• PoCo recreation complex (17)
• Westwood Street (3)
• Hyde Creek recreation centre (1)
• Terry Fox Library (15)
• Dominion Triangle (6)
• Broadway Street (1)
• Prairie Avenue/Coast Meridian Road (3)
• Lougheed Highway/Shaughnessy Street (7)
• and downtown PoCo (10)
Tree festival chairperson Pippa VanVelzen said the event, which is sponsored in part by The Tri-City News, "is a way to bring the businesses and the community together — and it's lots of fun."
