California Corner : Festivals, Feasts & Fairs

FERNDALE--Costumed street vendors, carolers, actors and other performers whisk you back to the 19th Century at the Dickens Christmas Festival, Saturday and next Sunday, on Main Street in this historic Victorian town. Docents from the local museum conduct walking tours of downtown, and horse-and-buggy rides are offered. Festivities are 10 a.m.-early evening Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. next Sunday. On Dec. 19 at 11 a.m., Santa Claus arrives by firetruck in the Main Street courtyard to greet children. U.S. 101 north to the Ferndale/Fernbridge exit and go right; at stop sign, turn left and cross over Fernbridge onto California 211; go five miles into town. (707) 786-4477.

COLOMA--The holidays are celebrated Gold Rush-style at the seventh annual Christmas in Coloma, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. next Sunday at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. The town where James Marshall discovered gold in 1848 celebrates with a crafts fair, holiday music, stagecoach rides, seasonal foods including mulled wine and pecan pie, and a storyteller presenting “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” $5 per car. Interstate 5 north to U.S. 50 east; left at California 49 in Placerville; eight miles into Coloma. (916) 622-3470.

MAMMOTH LAKES--Snow-covered ski slopes set the stage for the outdoor Night of Lights show, 7 p.m. Dec. 19. The show begins at the main lodge on Mammoth Mountain’s Broadway ski run and features choreographed snowcat/snowmobile ballets, a torchlight procession of 300 skiers, and laser and fireworks shows. Preceding the show at 4 p.m., dog-sled rides, snowmobiling, bonfires and refreshments are offered, and Santa Claus holds court in his ice castle. Free. Take either California 14 or Interstate 15 to U.S. 395, then north into Mammoth Lakes. (800) 367-6572.

WAWONA--Yosemite Pioneer Christmas festivities are featured Dec. 23 at the Pioneer History Center. Stagecoach rides are offered beginning at 10 a.m., and two-hour holiday programs for kids start at noon, featuring storytelling, tree-trimming and ornament- making. At 6:30 p.m., there is caroling by lantern and candlelight. Interstate 5 north to California 41, then east into Wawona. (209) 375-6556. (Reservations for kids’ program: 209-372-0563 or 209-372-0564.)

SAN DIEGO--December is the month to begin catching glimpses of the California gray whales migrating south from the Bering Sea to the warm waters of Baja California for breeding. Cabrillo National Monument, at the tip of Point Loma, provides a prime viewing area, and the visitor center there (open 9 a.m.-5:15 p.m. daily) offers daily whale films and helpful tips from park rangers. Viewing is usually late December through March. Interstate 5 south to the Rosecrans exit; go south on Rosecrans (California 209); follow signs to the monument, located at the end of Catalina Boulevard. (619) 557-5450.