Experience the Magic
Dunsmuir’s Candles in the Canyon…
Cate Clother, executive director of the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce, grew up in Dunsmuir and has fond memories of the town’s winter festivals.
“I was a Girl Scout, and I remember being dressed up in a cardboard box painted like a present and walking around in the snow through the parade,” Clother recalls. Now living back in Dunsmuir, Clother hopes to bring that kind of winter magic back for the new younger generation.
Although Clother left Dunsmuir after graduating from high school and came back in 2018, she believes that the Dunsmuir Garden Club originally started the Christmas Tree Lighting and parades that complemented it before the Chamber took it over. “Candles in the Canyon was happening when I moved back here. It stalled during COVID and then we picked it back up last year,” Clother says.
When Clother moved back to Northern California, she also opened the Cedar Grove Center, a Waldorf-inspired school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Last year, Cedar Grove had a winter faire at the same time as Candles in the Canyon, held on the second Saturday in December at the same time as the town art walk.
“There are a few new art galleries in town that will have receptions,” Clother says. For instance, last year, Darmera Studio, Cobra Lily and the Siskiyou Arts Museum were part of the Candles in the Canyon art walk last year. It also featured live music, artwork and locally made gifts for sale.
This year, Cedar Grove will again offer beeswax candle dipping activities and wreath making, and it will have a little gnome village for kids as part of Candles in the Canyon. “We build out a room so everything is small…golden silks and twinkly lights hang from the ceiling, there are sheepskins on the floor, and miniature doors that are only accessible for kids to get through,” says Clother. Once inside, the kids can have hot cocoa, take a treat off the cookie tree, and “buy” gifts for their families. “We try to create little moments for children to experience that holiday wonder,” Clother says.
Gary’s Pizzas will do a bake sale again this year, and Bee Kind Bakery & Catering will offer kids activities and spread holiday cheer. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be walking around taking pictures with kids and Revive Church Dunsmuir will spearhead the caroling downtown as the community Christmas Tree is being lit at Upper Pine Street Park.
When asked where the “Candles in the Canyon” name came from, Clother thinks back to how Railroad Days was named to pay homage to the town’s close relationship with the railroad industry. When Interstate 5 was installed and became the major thoroughfare, Dunsmuir changed its name to Canyon Days. It was also called River Days at one point before going back to its original Railroad Days name.
“It’s a cozy title, and maybe the carolers will have candles. I always said that the beeswax candle-making related the candles back to the name,” says Clother. The Chamber of Commerce also encourages businesses to decorate their storefronts with lights and hopes the entire town of Dunsmuir and Main Street will be twinkling by Christmas.
“I’m a third-generation Dunsmuirian and have so many great memories of spending the holidays here. I always loved the tree lighting, and as a little kid I remember seeing all the shops lit up; the hustle and bustle of downtown, singing and shopping, and people enjoying themselves.” •
Candles in the Canyon • www.dunsmuir.com
