Arvada Tree Lighting To Be Held Saturday

ARVADA, CO — Hundreds are expected to flock to Olde Town Arvada Saturday evening for the annual tree lighting.

Entertainment is set to begin at 5 p.m. with a holiday march, led by the brass band Guerilla Fanfare, through the streets of Olde Town.

The Phipps Team will serve hot cocoa and attendees will have the chance to win prizes.

The Olde Town Tree lighting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

It's no coincidence that the tree lighting is being held on Small Business Saturday — shoppers are encouraged to head into Olde Town before the celebrations, get some holiday shopping done and support local businesses.

Olde Town is also hosting its first-ever Holiday Makers Market, which began Friday and is set to run each weekend until Dec. 19. Market hours are Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Supporting local businesses is important, according to American Express, which estimates that 67 cents of every $1 spent remains in the local community.

Small businesses have been pummeled by the pandemic, according to a study by economist Susan Woodward. The study looked at the bank deposits of nearly 1 million small businesses with 10 or fewer employees, from every major sector and industry, during the first year of the pandemic.

The study, commissioned by Intuit QuickBooks, looked at bank deposits by the approximately 1 million small businesses using the company’s software and anonymized, aggregated data from the users.

In Colorado, small business was down 20 percent in the first full year of the pandemic.