Break out the lights and Christmas soundtracks — Jerome has officially rung the Christmas bells with a visit from Santa Claus himself. Although Jerome’s Town Dinner was canceled this year due to an uptick in COVID-19, the community came alive Saturday, Nov. 27, for the Santa Lights Up The Mountain event.
At exactly 6 p.m., the Jerome Chamber of Commerce flipped the switch, lighting up onlookers and troops of Christmas carolers with a Christmas light installation on the steps at Main Street.
Throughout the day, luminarias were lit up and down the weaving streets of Jerome. Visitors from around the Verde Valley enjoyed holiday music performances and hot apple cider as they waited for the lighting display to be unveiled. Weaving in and out of the crowd was Mr. and Mrs. Claus, posing for photos with kids and reassuring them their wishes would be granted.
When 11-year-old Vanshika Balaji sat down between Mr. and Mrs. Claus for a photo, she looked up and whispered in Santa’s ear. Nobody but Santa could hear what she said, but it must have been a big ask.
“Hmm … I’m not sure if that’s possible!” Santa exclaimed. “I can assure you that you won’t be getting coal this year, though.”
Balaji seemed content with this answer, and got up with a smile.
Mingus Union High School theater and band students sang the afternoon and then the night away, first, with a band performance, and then with three separate caroling troops spread throughout the nooks and crannies of Jerome’s hillside landscape.
“It’s a lot of fun,” James Ball, MUHS theater director, said. “The kids really get a kick out of performing so close to the audience and being the entertainment. It’s a really cool experience for them.”
The choir and crowd favorite for this year’s caroling selection was “Carol of the Bells.”
“It’s the classic winter song,” Ball said. “They recognize it from so many movies and backgrounds. It’s really fun when it all comes together with the different parts.”
MUHS plans to participate in many more caroling events in the Verde Valley and will be traveling to Clarkdale and Sedona in the future.
Jerome also has plans for the future, with the upcoming Roam in Jerome event kicking off, which will feature live music, open shops and free parking every first Saturday of the month from 5 to 8 p.m.
