‘I definitely am looking forward to Santaland’: Old Mill District begins preparations for Santa’s arrival
(Update: Adding video, comments from Old Mill District staff, Bend resident)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend's Old Mill District is gearing up for Christmas fun, with a big celebration the day after Thanksgiving. Santa will be swapping his sleigh and reindeer in for an AirLink helicopter on Friday.
Santa's arrival, with the help of AirLink Critical Care Transport and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team, will kick off four weeks of fun at Santaland.
"I definitely am looking forward to Santaland," Bend resident Gunnar Donau said Tuesday. "I think that's going to be probably one of my highlights, as far as the weekend goes, just because I've never seen it before. It seems like a pretty interesting thing to do. I didn't realize you actually came down the chopper until I read the article, so I thought that was probably the coolest thing about it."
Kids and their families will be able to see Santa arrive by helicopter, behind the Hampton Inn. He will greet kids, then make his way over the footbridge to Santaland.
Old Mill District Event Manager Bria Holub said, "it's just an amazing, wonderful annual event, that we can bring families and people together down here in the Old Mill. It's a great tradition that we love to produce."
Santaland will be on the second floor, right above Lush.
Old Mill District Marketing Director Beau Eastes said, "We're really excited about this year. It's a much larger space. It's about five times the space that Santa had in the past."
At Santaland, you can expect a holiday bazaar, with a handful of craft vendors, and take photos with Santa. There will also be a reading nook and a coloring station, as well as a movie screening room.
Eastes added, "I think people, when they get up here are really going to, they're going to be able to take a load off, sit down, relax, warm up and enjoy the magic of this beautiful space."
Santaland will open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Friday and will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all the way through Christmas.
