The Verde Valley is full of holiday events each week offering festive fun for all ages. Here’s the upcoming lineup for each local community:
Cottonwood
- Cottonwood’s 68th annual Christmas Parade will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 11 a.m. and will start from the parking lot at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds. It will travel east on Cherry Street before turning left onto Main Street and continuing north into Old Town. This year’s theme is “Rock-n Round the Christmas Tree” and the Grand Marshals are Steve and April Palmer. The parade will have floats, unique cars, dogs, horses, mountain men in authentic dress, dancers, fire trucks, old tractors and more. Prizes will be awarded for Best Parade Theme, Best Commercial Float, Best Community Spirit and Best Marching/Walking Groups.
- After the parade, the 30th annual Chocolate Walk will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. in Old Town. This ticketed event allows attendees to stroll through Old Town while stopping at participating businesses to taste handcrafted chocolates.
- The Chocolate Walk will be followed by the Old Town Light Show at 5:30 p.m., accompanied by holiday music.
- The Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting a breakfast and photos with Santa event on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Recreation Center. This free event will feature pancakes, hot cocoa and an opportunity to have your photo taken with Santa.
- The Parks and Recreation Department has set up a mailbox for kids to drop off letters to Santa through Dec. 16. A self addressed envelope with a stamp must be included in order to receive a reply from the North Pole.
- The Parks and Recreation Department is putting on a Community Angels event to help spread holiday cheer to children in the community. Participants can pick out a tag from the Christmas tree in the Recreation Center, register it at the front desk, purchase the item on the tag and return it to the front desk by Dec. 15, unwrapped.
- Blazin’ M Ranch’s Holiday Hoedown dinner show will take place from now until Dec. 30 on select days.
- The Verde Valley Humane Society is at critical capacity and is offering half-price adoption fees for dogs over one year old from now through Dec. 15. Help a dog find a forever home this holiday season.
- Watch “Celebration of Christmas” for its 29th year at the Emmanuel Fellowship located at 1580 E. Fir Street. The show runs from Friday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 3.
- On Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cottonwood artist Michele Cokl Naylor will be hosting an open studio with guest artist Judy Jaaskelainen to share their crafts and unique holiday gift ideas. The studio is located at 2094 Cayuse Trail.
Camp Verde
- Fort Verde State Historic Park will be celebrating a Victorian Christmas from Dec. 2 through Jan. 7. The fort will be decorated with Victorian-style Christmas decorations.
- Fort Verde State Historic Park will hold a free Christmas ornament-making workshop on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kids can learn to make a “tussy mussy,” a Victorian holiday ornament.
- The park will also offer candlelight tours on Dec. 2, 9 and 16, from 5 to 8 p.m.
- The Verde Valley Archaeology Center is partnering with the Kiwanis Club of Camp Verde for a holiday toy drive. Residents are asked to bring a new toy for a child aged 1-15 to the museum’s lobby to benefit a child in the Camp Verde area. The drive runs from now until Dec. 14.
Clarkdale
- Santa will be coming to the Clarkdale Town Park on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 12 to 2 p.m. Children can take photos with Santa, play games, make holiday crafts and eat cookies with hot cocoa/\.
