Orofino's Christmas Park Gets Decorated One Volunteer Section at a Time

"You heard that right, the Chamber is bringing this fun event back." That line comes from the Clearwater County Chamber of Commerce's fall update on holiday plans, and the event it means is the bed races on Johnson Avenue. The Chamber says it has been years since anyone in town turned "a dusty bed frame into a racing machine with wheels."

It's an odd thing to come back in the same fall that a 76-foot spruce left these mountains for Washington, D.C. The two trees make a useful pair. One shows what it takes to put on a holiday spectacle with cranes and corporate sponsors. The other shows how Orofino puts on its own, one sign-up at a time.

A Tree That Needed a Crane

The Clearwater Tribune reported that the 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was harvested Saturday, Oct. 24, on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. The tree is an Engelmann spruce from Musselshell Meadow, about an hour from Orofino and Kamiah. Crews lifted it with a crane onto a custom trailer built for the cross-country haul, a trip of more than 2,500 miles to the West Lawn of the Capitol.

The harvest had a sponsor list to match the job: Kenworth, Holcomb Crane, Hale Trailer, Verizon, Bennett Lumber and Idaho Forest Group. According to the Forest Service's tour-route announcement, Idaho Forest Group is the presenting sponsor for 2026.

On Sunday, Nov. 1, the tree stopped at Barney's Harvest Foods at 13030 U.S. Highway 12 for a two-hour visit, 1 to 3 p.m., before heading on to Kamiah the same day. Since then it has stopped in Lolo, Montana, and Salmon. Today, Nov. 5, its stops are Craters of the Moon National Monument and Twin Falls. It reaches Idaho Falls on Friday, Nov. 6, and the tour ends at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Nov. 19.

The project also asked Idaho communities and partners for 10,000 handmade ornaments to decorate it. The Architect of the Capitol says the lighting ceremony usually falls in the last week of November or the first week of December, and the 2026 date is to be announced. Updates are posted at uscapitolchristmastree.com.

So Clearwater County's best-known tree this year will be lit about 2,500 miles away, with a crowd that has never driven Highway 12.

The Park Runs on a Sign-Up Sheet

Orofino's own tree lighting works the opposite way. No sponsor list covers the city park. It gets covered section by section, by whoever volunteers.

The Chamber's plan for the Old Fashion Christmas Festival and Tree Lighting says volunteers would start stringing lights in mid to late October. It also says "any organization or community member is welcome to sign up and decorate a part of the city park." You can bring your own lights or use the Chamber's. Displays must be up by Nov. 30, 2026, and down by Feb. 1, 2027.

That means the park you walk through in December depends on how many people take a section before the end of November. A group that signs up gets its display in the park. A section nobody takes stays dark.

This year the festival adds games in the park. The Chamber's examples range from building gingerbread houses to sack races, and anyone who wants to host one can sign up. For-profit vendors are not allowed. The theme hasn't been picked yet, and the Chamber has asked for planning-committee volunteers. As of this week, the Chamber's event listing covers Dec. 4 through Dec. 6 and still says "More info coming soon!"

Dec. 4 Starts With Bed Frames

The busiest stretch of the season is the Friday evening of Dec. 4. The Chamber has set the annual Christmas lighting parade for 6 p.m. To enter the parade, contact LCCU.

The bed races come first, down Johnson Avenue. The Chamber pictures racers in their "coolest PJ's (fully clothed of course)." Start time is about 5 p.m., but it depends on how many entries come in. Entry is free. Racers sign up through the Chamber, and each one needs a liability waiver for the Chamber and the city.

The same thing that decides the park decides the race. The start time moves with the number of entries, and the Chamber can only bring the event back if teams build beds.

It also fits the street. Johnson Avenue is the focus of the city's downtown project, and in March the city council voted to rebid that project to add a block of College Avenue. For one Friday in December, the street everyone is planning around holds pajama-clad racers instead.

A Storefront Contest That Crosses Town Lines

The Chamber is also opening its Christmas storefront lighting contest to all of Clearwater County. Storefronts compete within each town first, and the town winners then compete for Grand Champion. Anyone in the county can vote for the Grand Champion. Voting dates and the voting method haven't been posted yet.

That format puts Orofino's downtown up against storefronts in Weippe, Pierce and Elk River, the other towns the Chamber serves, and lets the whole county judge. The Chamber's fundraising works the same way. Its first Plant Bingo runs Friday, Nov. 13, from 6 to 10 p.m. at O-Town Mugs N Grubs, 246 Johnson Ave. Cards are $5 for two, cash only. The Chamber has said it wants to bring plant bingo to all four towns in the county. It has been collecting donated plants, cuttings, planters and soil for the effort.

Up the hill, Pierce has two events on the same weeks. According to the Clearwater Tribune's Pierce and Weippe news, the 47th Annual Pierce Community Center Holiday Bazaar runs Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and its vendor tables have sold out. The Tribune also reports that the Pierce Gem Community's Festival of Trees is Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Pierce Community Center, with social time at 5:30 p.m. and the auction at 6 p.m. That's the night after Orofino's parade.

Plan extra time for those drives. Highway 11 at the lower Greer Grade switchback has been down to one lane with a signal since Oct. 10. The restriction runs around the clock with delays of up to 15 minutes, and it's expected to last through mid-February. That covers the whole holiday season.

Ways to Get Your Name on the Map Before Nov. 30

Everything above starts with a sign-up, and most of the deadlines fall in November. Here's where each one goes, based on the Chamber's posted plans:

1. Decorate a section of the city park. Sign up with the Chamber and have your display up by Nov. 30. Your own lights or the Chamber's both work.
2. Host a game at the festival. Gingerbread houses, sack races or anything family-friendly. No for-profit vendors.
3. Build a bed. Racing is free with a signed liability waiver. Register with the Chamber.
4. Enter the lighted parade. Register through LCCU for the 6 p.m. start on Dec. 4.
5. Join the planning committee. The theme is still open.
6. Light up a storefront and vote once the county-wide Grand Champion round opens.

The Chamber's office is at 217 College Ave., Suite 18, and the phone number is 208-476-4335.

If your family is signing up for a park section this year, or you're a downtown business owner deciding whether to go after the county-wide title, I'd love to hear what you're planning. I'm Kiley Waldemarson, and I grew up with this valley's small-town traditions. You can reach me anytime through Kiley Waldemarson. If a move is on your list for next year, I'm happy to put together a free home valuation whenever you're ready.