Long-running Christmas event seeking new donors to help kick off Christmas season

POCATELLO – An event that has lasted for over three decades is seeking new donors as it prepares to celebrate the start of the Christmas season.

The 34th annual “Christmas in the Night Time Skies” is scheduled to serve free food and launch fireworks on Nov. 30 at the Bannock County Event Center. People will be able to take a seat or stand around a number of bonfires. Organizers will serve chili, hot dogs and hot chocolate. Attendees will see a fireworks show that will light up the dark winter sky.

People who attend are encouraged to bring a toy to donate to the Southeast Idaho chapter of the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots foundation.

“It’s a blast. You come in and Santa’s there and the kids light up and watch the tables fill up with toys,” said Vicki Jenkins, who has been organizing the event from the beginning. “Then you just get yourself comfy by the bonfires.”

The event will start at 5 p.m. and is free to the public.

While the event is still happening this year, it lost some of its sponsors, which has left it short on funding. Just last week, three sponsors had to drop out, and one had to reduce its donation, leaving Jenkins “scrambling” to find new sponsors.

If she can’t find new sponsors to cover the difference, the plan is to borrow money to pay her vendors.

“I start pretty early in the year and I thought I was okay, but things happen,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins anticipates feeding up to 2,000 people. While not everyone brings a toy to donate, the event brings in between 2,000 and 4,000 toys, depending on the year.

“Lots of people bring 10 toys and so it makes it up,” Jenkins said.

Stephanie Bercier, coordinator of Southeast Idaho Toys for Tots, spoke to how important ‘Christmas in the Night Time Skies’ is to her chapter of the foundation.

“Without (Jenkins), we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” Bercier said.

The event brings in half of the total toys donated to her chapter, Bercier said. Southeast Idaho Toys for Tots services around 4,000 kids in Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida and Power counties.

“This event and our program are heavily relied upon in this community. There’s so many people that need our help, whether they’re living paycheck to paycheck to pay their bills, or they have to decide to pay their power bill or buy (presents for) Christmas. We alleviate some of that,” Bercier said.

Jenkins lowered the threshold for new sponsorships to $1,000, going up to $5,000. Organizations or individuals who would like to sponsor the event can contact her at (208) 406-2600.

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