Santa faces busy schedule this holiday season in LV

Jace Radke

Friday, Nov. 27, 1998 | 11:24 a.m.

Santa Claus is coming to town, and he is making the most of his time in Las Vegas with a tight appearance schedule for the holiday season.

St. Nick will make an appearance Saturday at the Coca-Cola holiday parade on the Strip at noon. The parade, which will feature a caravan of red motorcycles and a vintage fire truck to escort Santa Claus and the Coca-Cola Polar Bear, will travel south on Las Vegas Boulevard from Harmon Avenue to the giant Coke bottle at the Showcase Mall.

Santa will give an early gift of over $1,000 to the Las Vegas Boys and Girls Club as part of Coca-Cola Company's $500,000 donation to charities across the country this holiday season. Santa will also present over 100 polar bear stuffed animals to the Las Vegas Fire Department's Teddy Bear Trauma Program.

From noon to 5 p.m., Santa will be at the Showcase Mall for picture opportunities.

From there Santa will kick off the monthlong "Christmas at the Liberace Museum on Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. Santa will pull the switch that lights the museum's giant Christmas tree, but in typical Liberace fashion, will wear a gold lame suit in place of his traditional red outfit.

Beginning at 4 p.m. on Dec. 3, admission to the museum is free with the donation of a new unwrapped toy or non-perishable food item that will be given to the Salvation Army.

Santa will also be making stops at Opportunity Village from now until Christmas for the organization's sixth annual Magical Forest fund-raiser. Santa will be appearing in the Magical Forest at 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. from 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The forest, which is on an acre and a half, is decorated with over 2 million lights and various holiday scenes, an Opportunity Village spokesperson said. A train will take people through a tour of the forest. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children.

Opportunity Village will also host a crafts fair in its gymnasium next to the forest during the times that the forest is open.

Santa will also make time in his busy schedule to visit all of the valley's malls.

Santa makes stops at the Meadows Mall from 11 a.m. until the mall closes every day. He stops at the Galleria at Sunset and the Boulevard Mall every day during regular mall hours, and start to appear at the Fashion Show Mall during mall hours today.

Santa was also sighted at the Fremont Street Experience on Wednesday to light the official City of Las Vegas Christmas tree and to open a monthlong holiday festival.

Santa will make appearances at the Fremont Street Experience on Saturdays and Sundays on each weekend until Christmas from noon to 9 p.m. The festival will also include a nightly holiday light and sound show and the March of the Toy Soldiers Dec. 14-27. The soldiers will march twice nightly on weekdays and three times on weekends.