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Celebrate the Holiday Season with Merry Main Street in Downtown Mesa
November 17, 2022 at 9:48 am"Mesa’s Merry Main Street is a great way to celebrate the season! The annual east valley holiday tradition returns to downtown Mesa for the eighth consecutive year with several new attractions. Merry Main Street starts on Nov. 25 and continues through Jan. 7, 2023 offering an exciting variety of holiday activities:
Merry Main Street begins on Friday, Nov. 25. There will be music at 5 p.m. by the Mesa City Band at the Mesa Christmas Tree, Main Street and Macdonald. That will be followed at 5:45 p.m. by a tree lighting ceremony and the arrival of Santa Claus! Enjoy an evening of music, food and fun throughout downtown Mesa until 10 p.m.
✓ Winter Wonderland Ice Rink. Downtown Mesa features a 6,005 square-foot ice skating rink at the new Plaza at Mesa City Center, 56 E. Main St. The Winter Wonderland Ice Rink will open daily for thousands to enjoy our amazing winter weather while skating under the stars. Tickets for a specific day and session can be purchased at merrymainst.com/icerink. A limited number of walk-up registrations will be accommodated per session.
Mesa's Christmas Tree. Merry Main Street would not be complete without a giant Christmas tree. The nearly four-story tall tree will be located on Macdonald at Main Street.
✓ ? Gnome on the Roam. Bingles, our Gnome on the Roam and one of Santa's best friends, will be roaming Downtown Mesa this holiday season. The adorable North Pole ambassador will stop at popular Mesa locations - or live shots - to spread holiday cheer. Follow @CityofMesa on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with his Main Street activities. Look for clues each week to win prizes.
✓ Visits with Santa. Free visits with Santa Fridays and Saturdays! Bring your cell phone or camera for pictures. Visit the activities calendar page on merrymainst.com for times and locations.
✓ Santa's Merry Makers Marketplace. Local crafters and artisans will be selling their crafts and holiday foods near Mesa's Christmas Tree on Nov. 25 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Nov. 26 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
✓ The Man Who Killed Santa Claus holiday event. As part of the Merry Main Street kickoff, Mayor John Giles is hosting a live retelling of "The Man Who Killed Santa Claus," a beloved (and true!) Mesa story, on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. at Mesa Arts Center. The family-friendly evening will also feature musical guests and will be recorded for a future episode of Mayor Giles' "It's Always Cool in Mesa" podcast. Tickets are available for $10 at Mesaartscenter.com.
✓ Reindeer Roll & Stroll. New this year is the first-ever sELF-guided Roll and Stroll in downtown Mesa on Dec. 3 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Join the City of Mesa's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program for this festive scavenger hunt for a chance to win great prizes, including a bicycle.
✓ Jack Frost's Food Truck Forest. Start (or end) your journey along Merry Main Street at Jack Frost's Food Truck Forest at Pioneer Park, 526 E. Main St., on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
✓ Mesa Temple Christmas Lights. After a four-year hiatus because of the Temple renovation, the spectacular light display and beloved community tradition returns nightly from Nov. 25 through Dec. 31 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The annual display features hundreds of thousands of colorful lights and is free.
✓ Mesa's Menorah. Join us in celebrating the Festival of Lights on Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. as we light the first candle on Mesa's Menorah. The 12-foot-tall Menorah, located on Main Street and Macdonald near the Mesa Mural, will have a light added nightly from Dec. 18 through Dec. 26.
✓ Holiday Happenings at the MAC. The internationally acclaimed Mesa Arts Center comes alive with holiday shows throughout December. Visit mesaartscenter.com for details and tickets.
✓ Mesa Santa Express and Market. Join us in our special Light Rail car, where we will sing songs, enjoy cookies and, best of all, meet Santa! Wear your pajamas and enjoy the season in the childlike and festive tradition of the Mesa Sana Express, which runs Dec. 9, 10, 16 and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. While rides are free, a commemorative ticket is required. Donations are being accepted online to Mesa Urban Renewal and Arts Lab to maintain free rides in the community. Visit www.mesasantaexpress.com for details.
For a complete list of Merry Main Street activities, including dates and times, visit merrymainst.com.
PARKING/LIGHT RAIL
FREE parking is available in all open lots and on-street parking areas throughout downtown Mesa.
FREE light rail rides will be offered between Country Club Drive and Gilbert Road from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the following Fridays and Saturdays:
Nov. 25 - 26
Dec. 2 - 3
Dec. 9 - 10
Dec. 16 - 17
SPONSORS
Merry Main Street is sponsored by the City of Mesa, Mesa Parks and Recreation, Downtown Mesa Association, Visit Mesa, Mesa Chamber of Commerce, AMR, Benedictine University, Boeing, Caliber, Nesbitt Contracting, Cox Communications, Sloan Park, SRP, Delta Hotels, Hunter Contracting, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Mesa Water and Valley Metro.
Mesa Temple Christmas Lights Return after A 5-Year Break
Event Called a "Must-See Extravaganza". . .It's a sight to behold
A Break in the Annual Tradition
In May 2018, the Mesa Temple closed for a major renovation construction project of the edifice and surrounding grounds. The lighting event was suspended through 2021, when the temple was dedicated in December and a large, white nativity was the only Christmas decorations placed on temple grounds during the public open house and dedication weekend.
The “Gift” of Christmas Lights Return in 2022
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In 2022, the lights will return in full glory on the north side of the temple.
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From the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve, visitors will fill wide pathways of the temple grounds nightly 5-10 p.m.
In addition to the lighting event on temple grounds, a large, international nativity display — featuring more than a hundred nativities from nations and cultures from all over the world — will also return this year. They will be hosted in the multipurpose room at the Mesa Temple Visitors’ Center, 455 E. Main Street, (just across from the northwest corner of the temple grounds) throughout the Christmas season.
Those involved and those in the community are excited for the lights to return after a five-year hiatus.
“The sacredness, the beauty, the purpose, the peace, and, for many of us, the solace and comfort during very difficult times is why this is such an important gift to bring the people who come to visit,” Stacey said.
And
for those who come to witness the stunning beauty of these hundreds of
thousands of sparkling lights in vibrantly colored display will be
reminded of the true reason for the Christmas season: Jesus Christ is
the Savior and Light of the World.
nativity scene –with a camel, sheep, and other animals – was part of the presentation in 1984 and again in 1985. That same year, ABC’s television morning show, Good Morning America, called the lighting of the Arizona Temple gardens one of three “must-see” holiday lighting extravaganzas in the United States.
Music was added to the celebration and various local musicians began giving nightly concerts. The groups, representing a variety of cultures and musical styles, include families, school and church choirs, and private ensembles from all over Arizona.
By the early 1990s, more than 300,000 lights adorned the temple grounds, dangling from tall palm trees, wrapped tightly around tree trunks hanging from branches, clustered in bouquet-like arrangements covering flower beds and low walls.
Chartered buses filled with visitors from around the Valley congregated at the temple to witness the display each night. Even when the temple wasn’t on the specified route, some bus drivers were known to adjust their course, just so their passengers could get a glimpse of the spectacular sight.
Biblical Vignettes Tell Story of Christ’s Birth
On the grounds are a variety of displays designed to tell the story of Christ’s birth, including a large outdoor crèche underneath a star with nearly 15,000 lights, a shepherd’s field, Mary and Joseph figurines, the prophet Isaiah, and three lighted wise men with their camels.
In the early 2000s, Julie McFarland of Mesa, who, with her husband, Kirt, were serving as lighting directors when they were inspired by the cover of the December 2000 issue of The Ensign which featured a painting, “The Road to Bethlehem,” by Joseph Brickey.
“We wanted to add something more spiritual to the grounds,” said Julie. “This painting seemed to capture the quiet nature of that moment.”
The figurines are the work of artist and sculptor Rennie Godfrey of Safford, Ariz., and debuted on the temple grounds in 2005. Rennie said she spends much time researching and is meticulous in the details: she covers the sheep with real sheep pelts, the donkey’s tail is made of horse’s hair, she inserts eyelashes and hair with a needle, hand-dyes fabrics with natural products and secures items from Middle Eastern countries.
“I try to be as natural and authentic as I can,” she said. “Working on this has a lot of meaning for me and I hope to be able make something that will touch hearts and bring others to Christ; that’s what these images are all about.”
In 2015, special QR codes near the vignettes were added so visitors could use their cell phones to access additional videos and information for these scenes depicted.
Volunteers Make it Happen
The extravagant celebration of lights is possible because of the thousands who volunteer behind the scenes who give of themselves during this busy time of year and find joy in being a part of something that brightens the holidays for so many.
Some of these volunteers start working as early as the spring, when they begin inventory on the lights. The majority work feverishly during November transforming the temple grounds into a breathtaking display.
“It’s a sight to
behold!” said Stacey Farr of the amount of time and effort that is given
during the weeks leading up to the day after Thanksgiving, when the
lights are officially turned on. Stacey began serving as an assistant
director of the lighting event 10 years ago and became director in 2015.
She, along with her
husband, Gary Farr, oversee the many committees that make it all happen.
This ad hoc lighting crew comes from 63 stakes in the Phoenix metro area. Many of these volunteers are young single adults, aged 18-31, who regularly show up on Monday nights to the warehouse where the hundreds of thousands of lights are stored year-round to design and assemble items to be a part of the display.
Sister Farr recalled special memories of some of the countless volunteers over the years.
“My personal favorites were the families that would come and work together to accomplish the area assigned. Or the single parent who brought their children so they would have a wonderful experience. The widow who loved being on the temple grounds found such comfort serving the way they could. The one who was released from jail and wanted to give back so he and his parole officer worked together,” she said.
“Some come with their family and friends,” she added. “Some just walking on the grounds ask how they can help.”
Visitors Feel Special Spirit
“It’s amazing!” Liesl Cardon of Utah told the Church News in 2017. She was visiting the lights display for the first time. “I especially love the reflection of the temple in the pool.”
She paused with her companion, CJ Passantino of Texas, both of whom are BYU students, in front of a large white nativity that appears to float in a small reflecting pond on the north side of the temple.
“I was thinking of how calm the water is,” she said. “It reminds me of the gift of peace that we get from our Savior—through His Atonement, and through prayer. It’s a peaceful place.”
Lubna Dent, who is from Pakistan but was living in Arizona, visited in 2016.
“The moment I entered I was in awe,” she told the Church News. “The people from their hearts are trying to spread the light of Christ and His message of hope. It amazing how they do it out of love and service.”
Lacey Ames of Mesa stood near the large nativity scene in 2017, explaining to her 3-year-old boy about the significance of the moment portrayed.
“Instead of the hype of presents we’re trying to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, which is Christ,” Lacey said. “There is always a special spirit on the temple grounds when you’re looking at the Christmas lights that you can’t get anywhere else.”
A Break in the Annual Tradition
In May 2018, the Mesa Temple closed for a major renovation construction project of the edifice and surrounding grounds. The lighting event was suspended through 2021, when the temple was dedicated in December and a large, white nativity was the only Christmas decorations placed on temple grounds during the public open house and dedication weekend.
The “Gift” of Christmas Lights Return in 2022
In 2022, the lights will return in full glory on the north side of the temple.
From the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve, visitors will fill wide pathways of the temple grounds nightly 5-10 p.m.
In addition to the lighting event on temple grounds, a large, international nativity display — featuring more than a hundred nativities from nations and cultures from all over the world — will also return this year. They will be hosted in the multipurpose room at the Mesa Temple Visitors’ Center, 455 E. Main Street, (just across from the northwest corner of the temple grounds) throughout the Christmas season.
Those involved and those in the community are excited for the lights to return after a five-year hiatus.
“The sacredness, the beauty, the purpose, the peace, and, for many of us, the solace and comfort during very difficult times is why this is such an important gift to bring the people who come to visit,” Stacey said.
And for those who come to witness the stunning beauty of these hundreds of thousands of sparkling lights in vibrantly colored display will be reminded of the true reason for the Christmas season: Jesus Christ is the Savior and Light of the World.
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