The City of Canyon Lake announced that it will no longer be hosting its annual Winter Wonderland event, a seasonal tradition that featured a tree lighting, Santa, snow sledding, an ice skating rink, music, food, and local vendors. This decision will save the city approximately $30,000 annually.
In addition to discontinuing the Winter Wonderland event, the city also revealed plans to explore more cost-effective alternatives to the traditional Christmas tree it displays in the Towne Center. The current cost to rent the Christmas tree is approximately $23,000.
Mayor Pro Tem Kasey Castillo, who also serves on the city’s Community Engagement Committee, explained that the city evaluated its holiday efforts alongside those of the POA. “We looked at what we were doing and what the POA was doing,” she said. “We have that amazing tree lighting ceremony inside the gates, put on by the POA, assisted by the Junior Women’s Club. Then, the next weekend, we’re doing our own thing outside the gates, and we’re servicing the same community. When we talk about being good partners with the POA, we realize we don’t need to compete with events—we need to join forces and contribute to what is already an amazing event on the POA side. That way, we can focus more on other services the city provides. It’s not that we didn’t love our Winter Wonderland or the pretty Christmas tree in the Towne Center. It’s just that the community is requiring us to be conservative in our spending and to prioritize. We love the holidays, but we can do it differently—without shortchanging our citizens. There are things that are more important on the city side, and we have to meet the moment on that.”
While Winter Wonderland will no longer be part of the city’s holiday lineup, last year the city introduced a new community event to its seasonal calendar—the Pumpkin Bash, which is scheduled to return this fall.
City officials said they are committed to maintaining the spirit of the holiday season while being fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars.
