Odell celebrates with second annual Christmas tree lighting

But Becerra isn’t one to rest on success. Building on the tree lighting, he planned a well-attended Cinco de Mayo party in May, held at Mid Valley Elementary, with entertainment, food and beverages.

And then he started planning this year’s Odell tree lighting event, with help from the Odell Hispanic Coalition.

“I don’t know how much bigger we can get,” he said Dec. 9 as people began to gather at the Wy’East Fire District. “I want more — that’s just my style.”

That “more” included purchasing additional tree lights out of his own pocket, which were hung courtesy of Hood River Electric Co-op and, specifically, David Porter, who went limb by limb to make sure the tree was well-lit; Porter also set the star on top. Nativities were placed at the bottom of the tree.

The group also planned this year’s event to coincide with the start of the annual Fire Truck Parade, which began its route from the Wy’East fire hall at 6 p.m. Mid Valley Elementary students, under the direction of music teacher Lydia Petersen, sang carols — another new element — once the flashing lights and blaring sirens departed the site, signaling to the crowd that the festivities had begun.

“I think this is a great community event and the fire district is proud to be a part of it by letting them use the area at the Firefighter Memorial,” said Greg Borton, Wy’East Fire District chief, who noted plans to connect the fire truck parade and the tree lighting began in the fall.

Samantha Garcia, Head Start teacher and Odell native, helped lead the event, giving a small thanks before the countdown began.

“I think that’s why this event in Odell is special: It helps bring our neighbors together when Hood River can feel like a bit of a maze at times,” Garcia said afterwards. “Having families join us makes it all possible.”

The lighting of the tree drew a round of applause from the audience, estimated to be around 150 people, before the crowd began to wander across the street to the basement of Wy’east Community Church for cookies and hot chocolate, donated by Packer Orchards and Bakery, as well as tamales, made by Becerra’s mother, Evangelina Becerra.

Michoacán set up a table underneath a canopy at the fire hall, handing out cups of hot ponche and chamupurrado —traditional Mexican beverages, one fruit and one chocolate, respectively — and goodie bags for the kids.

“I’m very excited to have all these people involved,” Becerra said. “It’s locals supporting locals; that’s the epitome of what this event is about. Having everyone hop on is super cool to me.”

The tree will stay up until sometime after New Year’s.