In January 2026, with the bonfires out and the vendor tents packed, Palo Cedro Chamber of Commerce volunteers Kelly Landry, Travis Gilbert and Jason Hull rearranged theirs to make room for a stage. Foothill High School had donated that stage to the Chamber's Country Christmas event. At the same meeting, the board asked for thank-you notes to go to Mitch Bahr and Mr. Green, according to the Chamber's January 6, 2026 minutes.
That stage will come out again on Friday, December 4, for the 32nd Annual Country Christmas Celebration in the Allen & Dahl parking lot. Most of what makes the night work is lent, donated or volunteered, and the Chamber's own records show it.
What the Night Is Built From
The Chamber's minutes and event pages read like a list of who chips in. Each item below is labeled with the year it comes from, because the 2026 lineup hasn't been posted yet.
- The stage, 2025: Donated by Foothill High School and now stored in the Chamber's unit.
- The music and the emcee, 2025: The Foothill High School band was scheduled to play in the tent, with Mitch from Foothill emceeing.
- Santa, 2025: Win Carpenter, according to the Chamber's October 7, 2025 minutes.
- The fire engine, 2024: Palo Cedro Fire Department said it would bring its Type 3 engine to the parade.
- The light train, earlier years: The Chamber's write-up of the 29th annual event names a parade with Nash's Light Train. The 2024 minutes list the train as "not confirmed yet" just days before that year's event.
- The fire pits, after 2025: These went to the Boy Scout troop, and the Chamber is looking at propane tank-top heaters to replace them.
- Sponsors, 2024: 18 of them, all brought in by Chelly, a number the board called "similar to last year."
The 2025 theme was "a nod to Nightmare Before Christmas," according to the November 4, 2025 minutes.
Why a $4,000 Night Still Matters
Country Christmas is one of the Chamber's fundraisers. In January 2026 the board reviewed the 2025 budget, which showed a total profit of $4,000.
Compare that with another line in the same report. The Chamber issued a receipt for $7,500 for a single private donation of time and materials to the event. That one gift was worth almost twice what the night cleared. And it doesn't count the donated stage, the student band, the fire engine or the volunteer Santa.
For a sense of scale, the Chamber's December 2024 treasurer's report showed an ending balance of $44,001.50. A $4,000 profit is a real addition for a volunteer group that size. The event earns it because local people and organizations bring much of the gear and talent.
The Chamber says Country Christmas is one of the community events started by its early members.
Three Locations So Far
The event has moved more than once, and the reasons tell you how much it has grown.
- Holiday Shopping Center. This is where the Chamber says it used to be, before "growing popularity and traffic constraints" pushed it out.
- Cedro Lane and Palo Cedro Park. By the 29th annual event, it had moved here and run from 4 to 8 p.m., with music on two stages, a kids' activity area, food, vendors, a 21-and-over beer area and bonfires.
- The Allen & Dahl parking lot. This is the 2026 location on both the vendor application and the sponsorship application. The address is 21853 Honor Court, just off Deschutes Road.
The Allen & Dahl building is already part of the event's history. For the December 2024 event, the Chamber planned vendor parking behind it.
KRCR's 2019 holiday roundup listed Palo Cedro Country Christmas alongside a gingerbread house competition at the Holiday Market on Deschutes Road, starting at 5 p.m. on a Friday evening. The event has stayed close to Deschutes Road even as the exact spot has changed.
Booth and Sponsor Deadlines Are Mid-November
As of this Thursday, local makers, nonprofits and food trucks have a little over two weeks to apply. Here are the 2026 terms from the Chamber's own forms:
| Vendors | Sponsors | |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | November 16 | November 15 |
| Cost | $25 nonprofit or school, $50 merchandise, $100 food truck or space | $250, $500 or $1,000 packages |
| What you bring | Your own power, tent and lighting | An outdoor-quality banner for the $1,000 Santa's Helpers package; none listed for the others |
| Size limit | Tents up to 12 by 12 feet | Not applicable |
The event runs after dark in December, so if a booth doesn't bring its own lights, nobody can see it. Vendors also need their own power source. For comparison, the Chamber counted 40 confirmed vendors for the 2024 event.
Both applications are posted on the Palo Cedro Chamber of Commerce website.
Planning for Friday, December 4
The Chamber hasn't posted hours or a program for 2026 yet. For reference, the last two years looked like this:
- 2025: "Friday, December 5th 4pm – 8pm," with a parade, the Foothill band and Santa on the schedule.
- 2024: Friday, December 6, with a parade, Santa and alcohol service handled under a license.
The early-December Friday pattern holds for 2026. A 4 p.m. start is a reasonable guess, but check the Chamber's site or social pages before you plan dinner around it. Since the fire pits have been given away and the heaters may be replaced, bring a warmer layer than you think you'll need.
If you want to eat on Deschutes Road earlier in the day, Social Kitchen is at 9520 Deschutes Road. When the Chamber profiled it in August, it was open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with dinner service only a future plan.
If you're a local business owner thinking about sponsoring this year, or a homeowner wondering what your place near Deschutes Road might be worth, Dustin Foster is happy to talk it over in a no-pressure consultation. See you at the Allen & Dahl lot on December 4.
