The 39th annual Montesano Festival of Lights once again brought large crowds to view its iconic parade on Saturday night.

Best guess estimates from experienced parade route travellers estimate between 2,500 to 3,000 onlookers for the grand parade. Those in attendance couldn’t recall the last time the parade was met with such agreeable weather as there was no wind or rain.

The festival weekend kicked off on Friday with live music at the Montesano Community Center and ended with a Sunday night cantata at the United Methodist Church in Montesano.

Saturday activities for the holiday weekend included a hearty pancake breakfast at the community center, children’s crafts and games at the library and a scavenger hunt by Columbia Bank. A gift and craft fair at the Montesano Jr. High Gym with a silent auction for the Montesano Chamber of Commerce was open till early afternoon. The Montesano Fire Department Volunteers hosted a chowder feed right up until the grand parade.

Scheduled to coincide with the Festival of Lights, Montesano High School hosted the 2nd annual Lady Bulldog Bash girls wrestling tournament. Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Schools from as far as Federal Way competed in this early season tournament that will continue to grow each year.

Local food vendors located off of Fleet Park provided for a hungry crowd until long after the traditional Lighting of the Yule Log at Fleet Park, one the favorite happenings on festival weekend. After the cutting of the Yule Log with a vintage crosscut saw manned by volunteers from the crowd, a small bonfire is lit for festival goers to gather around and reminisce about holidays past and present while sipping hot chocolate or nibbling an elephant ear pastry.

Longtime community members Alan Jones and Ron Lofgren manned the Yule Log station as several men and women took their turns cutting it down into rounds with the crosscut saw to split for the bonfire. Some cuts went smoothly, some didn’t. On the importance of the Festival of Lights and Yule Log tradition, Lofgren said, “Somebody has to teach these young folks how to do it before everyone forgets!”

The after parade bonfire at Fleet Park in Montesano.

Randy Flink (left) and Abe Singer (not in photo) use a crosscut saw to cut the annual Festival of Lights Yule Log at Fleet Park under the “guidance” of Al Jones (middle) and Ron Lofgren (right).

The Festival of Lights Craft Fair Saturday at the Montesano Junior High Gym.