Local News

Holiday Hijinks Planned

New Year's event to join Elfkins festivities

ELKINS -- The City of Elkins is preparing to transform into “Elfkins” for the holiday season, with continued traditions and a brand-new event for New Year’s Eve.

This year, the newly founded non-profit organization ELFKINS INC. will be overseeing the third annual Blue Christmas Celebration at Elkins City Hall, Kathy Vance told The Inter-Mountain.

The tree-lighting event, which honors first responders, will take place on Nov. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at Elkins City Hall. Vance said this year’s tree lighting will be in memory of EMT-B Wilma Rogers, and the tree will be lit by her children and grandkids.

The annual "Jingle All The Way" Elfkins Christmas Parade will take place Dec. 4 with more details to come. Afterwards the second annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the Rotary Amphitheater in Elkins Town Square will begin. Those attending can expect vendors and games for kids. Lighting the tree again this year will be Joyce Allen and J.F. Allen representatives, who helped finance the initial purchase of the tree.

During Elkins City Council’s Oct. 15 meeting, the nine present council members voted in favor of Resolution 1963, which approves an expenditure of $1,500 from Mayor Jerry Marco’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget as a contribution toward the $6,000 annual cost of assembling and disassembling the community Christmas tree. Third Ward Council member Christopher Lowther was absent from the meeting.

According to Resolution 1963, City Council previous passed Resolution 1863, which established a policy of providing an annual contribution of $1,500 toward the costs of assembly and disassembly of the community Christmas tree, subject to annual appropriation and the availability of funding. Resolution 1963 also notes that the funding for the contribution was available within the mayor’s FY 2027 budget.

According to an email sent to local business owners by Third Ward Council member Erika Plishka, Elkins will be entering itself in Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town Contest. Vance told The Inter-Mountain the winner will have a Hallmark movie made in their city or town.

“As we prepare for the upcoming Christmas season, we invite downtown Elkins businesses to join together in celebrating the holiday spirit of our community through festive storefront window displays,” Plishka said in her email. “The community’s participation in decorating for America’s 250th anniversary was a tremendous success, and we hope to carry that same enthusiasm and community pride into the Christmas season.

“ELFKINS INC. is preparing to enter Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town Contest in 2027, and photographs and videos of our decorated downtown storefronts will help showcase the charm and holiday spirit of Elkins in the future contest entry.”

The community Christmas theme will be “A Merry Mountain Christmas,” and businesses are encouraged to “get creative” with their window displays, whether traditional, whimsical, elegant or “inspired by our beautiful mountain surroundings.” Plishka said the City kindly asks that participating businesses have their window displays completed by Monday, Nov. 23.

Vance also told The Inter-Mountain that Elfkins will be expanding with the first-ever New Year’s Eve Bash. The Bash will take place at the Rotary Amphitheater in Elkins Town Square on Dec. 31 from 10 p.m. to midnight.

“We are having the Tithe of Volume band playing, and at midnight the Elkins Fire department will be doing a ball drop for us,” Vance told The Inter-Mountain. “The ball is 6′ in diameter and it is beautiful… We will also have vendors at this event and we encourage people to attend and dance around the Christmas tree and ring in the New Year.”

Vance noted if anyone would like to be a sponsor for this year’s Elfkins festivities, they can contact the non-profit at elfkinsinc@gmail.com, or they can mail a check to ELFKINS INC., P.O. Box 566, Elkins, WV.