AURORA | Grab your mittens and your wish list, because Santa Claus is coming to town, or at least the north part.
The big man will be making an early stop to the Aurora Cultural Arts District Dec. 13 as a part of Original Aurora’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. A visit from St. Nick is just one of the many activities scheduled to take place at the soiree, which has been an annual East Colfax tradition for over a decade.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity for people to come down to the district to discover the theaters and galleries,” said Tracy Weil, executive director of the Aurora Cultural Arts District. He took over as the main organizer for the tree lighting three years ago. “We’re just trying to create awareness, fun and an overall sense of community.”
Held each year sometime in mid-December, the tree lighting is intended to put on display all of the dining, art and entertainment the district has to offer, according to Weil. On top of a visit from Santa — who will be handing out presents starting at 6:10 p.m. — the event boasts holiday treats like hot chocolate, cider and Christmas cookies to munch on while taking in performances from the Aurora Symphony Brass Quartet and selected scenes and songs from the Vintage Theater’s holiday show “Miss Saigon.” Aurora City Councilwomen Marsha Berzins and Sally Mounier will light the tree in place of Mayor Steve Hogan at Fletcher Plaza at 5:30 p.m.
The tradition started in 2003 when Carolyn Boller, a longtime Aurora resident and former member of the now defunct Downtown Aurora Business Association, worked with late State Rep. Stephanie Takis to have a Christmas tree placed in Fletcher Plaza, where the event still takes place today, in an effort to draw attention to an under-exposed sector of the city.
“I just said, ‘We need a Christmas tree in Original Aurora and we need some activity to get people to come down, so let’s shine some light on Aurora,’ because at that point it had been sort of forgotten,” Boller said. “The idea was to get people to do something in that area of town.”
Norma Nuñez, owner of La Cueva restaurant, took over as chief organizer of the tree lighting in 2005 in an attempt to create a holiday event catered toward neighborhood youth. She and her children, Alfonso and Molly who also work at La Cueva, have run the event ever since.
“That whole area has gone through so much change,” Alfonso said. “We had some years that were really tough with a lot of gang violence, and there were kids who didn’t have a great place to celebrate with a Christmas tree, and my Mom wanted to change that.”
Over a dozen Aurora businesses are helping to sponsor the event this year, providing everything from the tree — which comes from Nick’s Garden Center — to complimentary tickets to theater performances — provided by the Aurora Fox Arts Center. The Fox will be giving away 80 free tickets at the event to the 7:30 p.m. performance of “Red Ranger Came Calling” on Dec. 13.
Business owners along Colfax have pointed to events such as the tree lighting, as well as other seasonal events like the Aurora Arts Festival and Fall Fest, as important marketing opportunities for a district that has struggled to get exposure.
“Events like (the tree lighting) I think help get the message out that there is a district that exists, and that life is coming to downtown Aurora,” said Nathan Flatland, president of Mu Brewery on East Colfax which will be helping with the hot cocoa during the tree lighting.
The marketing and events have paid off, according to Weil, who said the ACAD tallied a record 75,000 visitors in 2013, a number largely driven by theatergoers. He said that The Fox and The Vintage have both been steadily seeing their attendance increase, a marker he believes will push the total number of visitors toward 100,000 for 2014.