Soldotna chamber lights up the town

Published 10:30 pm Tuesday, December 16, 2025

The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce fought a battle against the elements last weekend. Although frigid temperatures and a high wind advisory ultimately led to the chamber’s decision to cancel the annual Christmas in the Park event, originally scheduled for Dec. 6, hundreds of folks gathered at the visitor center Friday, Dec. 12 for the Holiday Christmas Tree Lighting.

Heidi Sorrell, executive director of the chamber, said it was the first time the city has held a “Christmas at the Chamber” event like this one.

“Having it indoors really helped with any weather concerns, so I really appreciated that,” Sorrell said. “We had a lot of comments from people saying they were glad they didn’t have to stand outdoors.”

The festivities began Friday afternoon in the Soldotna Visitor Center, where folks munched on complimentary cookies and hot chocolate and gathered to take photos with Santa and his reindeer. The chamber originally planned to host a food drive for the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, but executive director Johna Beech said the changes to the event led to the food bank’s presence to serve as more of an awareness campaign than a food drive.

“With the changes due to weather, we shifted our focus to reminding the community we are here if they need us,” Beech wrote in an email to the Clarion. “It was a wonderfully attended event and we loved how the community turned out for it!”

Later that afternoon, dozens braved the cold to gather outside, where Diamond Dance Project performed a flash mob. Folks sang Christmas carols and eagerly waited for the 70-foot-tall tree on the chamber’s property to light up.

Sorrell said Nash Brothers Painting Service spent all day Friday decorating the tree.

“They wiped out Home Depot, Fred Meyer and Walmart of all the bigger lights they had,” Sorrel said. “They bought everybody out, brought the lights, decorated the day of and got it done just in the nick of time.”

The tree was lit at 5 p.m. sharp. Sorrell said it will light up the corner of Kalifornsky Beach and Funny River roads every evening throughout the holiday season.

The holiday cheer will continue next weekend. The Soldotna Solstice Firework Show will begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21. According to a Facebook post from the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, the display will be visible from the Soldotna Creek Park and nearby locations.

“We appreciate our community and look forward to sharing a bright moment together on the shortest day of the year,” the chamber wrote on Facebook.