By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
Downtown Sandpoint is a magical place during the holidays. After three months of construction along First Avenue and Cedar Street, the city of Sandpoint took the fencing down between the sidewalk and street Monday, offering holiday shoppers a wider berth and more breathing room while ambulating downtown.
A holiday motif atop Burl Wood Dreams on First Avenue. Courtesy photo.
The city of Sandpoint has a handful of events scheduled from Thanksgiving through December. Take a look and support your downtown:
Sandpoint’s annual tree lighting
Creations for Sandpoint hosts the annual tree lighting at Jeff Jones Square at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29. Join the crowd of revelers for caroling, a dance performance by Studio 1, warm beverages and goodies. Santa Claus will also make an appearance.
Small Business Saturday
Support downtown Sandpoint merchants on Saturday, Nov. 30 for this nationally recognized event. There will be in-store giveaways and more at downtownsandpoint.com.
First Friday
Pend Oreille Arts Council, the Pend d’Oreille Winery and the Sandpoint Shopping District team meet up every first Friday of the month to offer shopping deals, art exhibits and an after party at the winery. This month’s event starts at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6 and ends with the Pend d’Oreille Winery after party from 6:30-8 p.m. Shoppers receive a raffle ticket with every purchase at a participating business. Prizes include gift certificates to local businesses and POAC events (must be present at the after party to win).
Girls Night Out
Grab your girlfriends and tackle some holiday shopping on Friday, Dec. 13. This annual tradition starts at Cedar St. Bistro on the Cedar St. Bridge with pre-event live music and wine, and finishes at the Pend d’Oreille Winery with an after party from 7-9 p.m., with live music and a passport drawing (get four punches on your passport at participating retailers and enter to win a prize). The grand prize is a shopping spree totalling $400. The pre-party will be from 3-5 p.m. at the Cedar St. Wine Bar and the shopping will take place from 3-8 p.m. at participating stores.
Last-Minute Late-Night Shopping
For those who procrastinate on holiday shopping, downtown retailers have got you covered Friday, Dec. 20 with sales, specials and last-minute gift ideas to check off the boxes. The 219 Lounge will also offer a late-night pint special when you make a purchase at a participating merchant’s store.
Window Decorating Competition
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce hosts the second annual Window Decorating Competition from Friday, Nov. 29 through Friday, Dec. 20.
Downtown businesses will be Lighting Up Downtown with their unique window displays. Pick up a map and voters’ ballot at the tree lighting Nov. 29 or at each participating business. Categories include people’s choice, social media favorite and grand prize. Winners will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 24.
For more info and additional events, visit the Sandpoint Shopping District page on Facebook.
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Coming up this week! Don’t miss out on Live performances of music & theater, fundraising, and more! See the full list of events in the 
