Three West Plains Towns, Three Tree Lightings, and One Crowded Friday

In the 2023 holiday season, fire damage had left the Elf Village in Medical Lake with just two houses. By the 2024 season, volunteers had rebuilt it to five. Festival director Kylie Stein told the Cheney Free Press that the village now included a church, a firehouse, a Grinch house, a reindeer barn and a bakery. "The firehouse symbolizes protection, which felt especially meaningful after last year's challenges," she said.

That village is the first piece of a holiday season the West Plains splits among its towns. Airway Heights, Cheney and Medical Lake each light their own tree, run their own Santa events and pick their own dates. In 2026 that spreads the season from the third weekend of November into January. Cheney and Airway Heights both light their trees on Friday, Dec. 4.

The Season Starts on Jefferson Street

According to Re*Imagine Medical Lake, the Elf Village goes up on Jefferson Street the third weekend of November and stays through the first weekend of January. No other West Plains display covered in this post runs that long. It's open before any of the area's tree lightings and stays up for weeks after the last one. That's long enough for a quick stop after a Saturday errand in November, and for a second visit with family in town over the holidays.

Medical Lake has a second early-season tradition with a near deadline. From October through Dec. 1, Re*Imagine Medical Lake and the Medical Lake Cemetery Association raise money for 66 Christmas wreaths for the military veterans buried in the community cemetery. One of them is Stanley Hallet, whom the group lists among the city's founding fathers and first mayors. A wreath costs $26. Donations go by mail to P.O. Box 344, Medical Lake, WA 99022, and the wreaths are placed on the graves the first Saturday of December, which this year is Dec. 5.

Friday, December 4, in Two Places at Once

The season's first big weekend actually starts on Thursday. Northern Quest Resort & Casino hosts Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland at its Pend Oreille Pavilion on Dec. 3. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m., at 100 North Hayford Road in Airway Heights.

On Friday, two towns hold their tree lightings within the same few hours.

Cheney Merchants lists Holiday Hoopla 2026 for Friday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. The evening includes Santa, crafts, a Giving Tree, cocoa with Cops, face painting, the annual tree lighting at the Library and fireworks to close. The Cheney Library is at 610 First St.

The same night, Airway Heights Parks & Recreation holds its Sunset Park Tree Lighting and Fireworks Show at 6 p.m., with a bonfire, songs, hot cocoa and candy canes before the Community Tree is lit and the fireworks start. Last season the Cheney Free Press placed Sunset Park at 8th Street and Lawson Avenue. That year Airway Heights held its celebration on Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6, so the city has kept its tree lighting on the first Friday of December.

The schedules differ in a useful way. Cheney's event is a three-hour block that starts before dark, so families can get Santa, crafts and face painting done early. Airway Heights centers its evening on one time, 6 p.m., with the bonfire and singing leading up to the lighting. Families who want both towns would have to start in Cheney while its afternoon activities are going and get to Sunset Park by 6. Both evenings end with fireworks, so most households will pick one town for the finale.

Saturday Morning Belongs to Airway Heights

On Saturday, Airway Heights moves indoors. Breakfast & Pictures with Santa runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Recreation Center, with a pancake breakfast and a quick photo with Santa. The Cheney Free Press gave the Rec Center's address as 11405 West Deno Road in its coverage of last year's events.

The photos are take-your-own. Parks & Recreation staff can take one and email it if needed, so a phone with a charged battery is enough. The department credits the Airway Heights Kiwanis Club, with Yoke's Fresh Market as breakfast sponsor and Holiday Heating among its event sponsors.

Dec. 5 is also the first Saturday of December, the day the veterans' wreaths go out at the Medical Lake cemetery. On the West Plains calendar, that Saturday morning is Santa's breakfast in Airway Heights and the wreath placement in Medical Lake.

Medical Lake Closes the Season on December 12

Medical Lake waits a week longer than its neighbors, and it fits more into its day. The Re*Imagine Medical Lake Winter Festival falls on the second Saturday in December each year, which this year is Dec. 12. Last year's festival was on Dec. 13, also the second Saturday. Unless an event says otherwise, it's free and open to the public.

Cheney and Airway Heights hold their tree lightings in a single evening. Medical Lake spreads its festival across downtown for the whole day, with the tree lit at the end. Here's how Dec. 12 runs, in time order:

1. 11 a.m. The Christmas Market opens in the Cela's Creative Learning Academy parking lot at 111 N. Lefevre St. and runs until 6 p.m. The reindeer exhibit on Lake Street runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and face painting at Pizza Factory runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2. Noon Pony rides start at Pizza Factory and continue until 4 p.m.
3. 1 p.m. Santa's Workshop opens at Cela's Creative Learning Academy. Upstairs in City Hall, Cookies with Mrs. Claus and Elf Crafts begin. All three run until 4 p.m. or while supplies last.
4. 4:45 p.m. The Christmas Parade moves through downtown.
5. After the parade The tree lighting and fireworks take place at Coney Island Park.
6. 5 to 7 p.m. The Self-Guided Light Tour runs around town. Registration and a map are on the festival page.

Some of the festival happens before Dec. 12. Entries for the Gingerbread House Challenge are dropped off at The European Child on Dec. 8, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Candy Cane Fun Run is free, takes place at Coney Island Park and registers at 200 E. Lake St. The Find the Christmas Cardinal game sends players around town looking for hidden cardinals at area businesses, with prizes for winners. The festival page also lets visitors sign the participation waiver online before the day.

The Elf Village is still up on Jefferson Street that day. Medical Lake's season opens and closes with it. Families who stopped by in November can see it again on the way to the parade.

How the Weeks From November to January Fit Together

Most of these are community events run by volunteers, sponsors and small city departments, so schedules can change because of weather or supplies. Before heading out, check the Airway Heights Parks & Recreation page, the Cheney Merchants listing and the Medical Lake Winter Festival page for the latest times.

The team at SpokaneREAL follows the West Plains through the whole year, from these December evenings to the questions homeowners bring us in spring. If you're thinking ahead to next year in Airway Heights, Cheney or Medical Lake, schedule a private market consultation and we'll walk you through what's happening on your street.