OROVILLE — The spirit of Christmas will be on full display on Saturday, Dec. 13, when the Annual Kids’ Christmas Party returns to the Oroville Free Methodist Church, offering gifts for local children.

The event is free and open to all children ages 14 and under, with a full afternoon of holiday fun planned for families. A community potluck meal will begin at 1 p.m. and everyone is encouraged to bring a favorite dish to share. At 2 p.m., children will have the chance to win prizes during a special drawing and at 3 p.m., Santa Claus is set to arrive with a gift for every child. The celebration will take place at the church fellowship hall, 1508 Fir Street, and is sponsored in part by the United Fellowship Church. Donations are welcome.

Event organizers, Chairman Ken Lee, and his wife Toni, resolve to serve the children of Oroville has come from his own memories of leaner times and the kindness of others, his dedication to the cause has grown into a tradition of generosity and joy for families across the community.

“It started with the American Legion,” said Lee, “When I joined the legion 24 years ago, they used to do this, the kids’ Christmas party. At the time, they only did it for the legion kids, it wasn’t a public event.”

The event evolved over the years and was opened up to the children of the entire community.

“I’ve always been active in the event,” said Lee.

In 2017, with rising costs and other changes, Lee said the event was costing the legion more and more money. “The legion was funding the whole thing. They voted to do away with the kids’ Christmas party altogether.”

“I raised my hand and told them I would continue it,” said Lee, “If it falls, it falls on me.”

The Oroville American Legion Post 84 continues to serve the families of Oroville with the annual “Shop with a Cop,” a tradition of partnering with local police for a heartwarming holiday event where kids in need shop for themselves and family with officers at places like the Oroville Country Store, receiving funds for gifts and a hot meal.

The annual Kids’ Christmas Party is funded by the community, says Lee.

“Each year, I go out asking for sponsorships. I cover everywhere from Oroville to Wenatchee. The money goes towards the presents, advertising and it goes towards putting together candy bags for the children. The donations are a Godsend. It’s the only way we can buy the presents and everything associated with this,” he said.

“I’m on the road almost four months out of the year now,” said Lee, “It’s increasingly gotten more businesses involved.”

“Some of the kids who used to come here as children are now the adults bringing their kids. It has come full circle from many families in our community. It brings everyone together for a couple of hours to bring more joy, more fun, and bring back the Christmas spirit,” said Lee.

Each year, Lee ensures there is a fresh tree for the families to enjoy.

“It’s not artificial. Nothing against artificial, but when we’re talking about kids, I spare no expense on a tree,” said Lee.

Lee said he recalls many special memories of going out to find the perfect tree for the party.

“We used to bring the kids out as well. We would make an outing of it. I told the kids the old Christmas story of the Griswolds. That’s exactly what we used to do. Doing that with the kids was always special,” said Lee.

Over the years, as Lee and his wife got older, he said “it got too cold.”

“One year, we took Toni’s mom out with us. We had a pretty good outing and got a couple of good trees. Well, coming back, we had a flat tire in the truck. We were miles and miles up, on a little dirt road. It took us three hours to get back to town on a flat tire. Going down the road, I didn’t have any spares with me, we were dredging along with two-foot snow drifts, just trying to get off the mountain. As we were going down the road, I would look back at Toni’s mom and she would be jumping up and down because the tire was bouncing all over the rim. She was just a blur, jumping up and down. I thought the faster I went the tire would fall off and at least we would be able to drive on the rim to get back to town,” said Lee.

Needless to say, “That was one of the most bizarre, but fun memories. Her mom never came with us again,” said Lee.

According to Lee, the reason he feels so strongly about this event is that he himself is no stranger to the struggles this life can present