The road closes at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. By 6:20 the tree at Brooks Park should be lit, and the Newaygo High School Jazz Band will have played the evening in. In past years the crowd simply spread out along downtown from there. This year a second start time follows ten minutes later, at 6:30, on a corner of downtown that had no park a few years ago.
That second start is the Golden Carol Choir Competition, which the River Country Chamber is holding "outdoors at the Pocket Park." It's the only new event on the 2026 program, and it's set in the space the city of Newaygo has been building at 8 State Road. The Christmas Walk is also the first big downtown night that space will get to host.
A Park Built to Tie Downtown Together
The city's 2025–26 Capital Improvement Plan says plainly what the pocket park was meant to do. The city bought the property near downtown's main intersection in 2023, with plans to tear down the existing structure and build "a beautiful and functional open air space." The plan says the park "will compliment and support the adjacent new museum and area businesses" and "will also be connected to the City's Social District."
The project's milestones came through 2026:
- February 2026: the City Council approved a $185,000 Revitalization & Placemaking Program grant agreement for the park, according to Citizen Portal's report on the meeting.
- May 11, 2026: the council voted to name it "Anishinaabe Park." Mayor Fedell explained to the council how the name was chosen.
- June 10, 2026: Fedell told the Principal Shopping District board that the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians had approved both the park's name and the design of its monument.
- August 10, 2026: City Manager Schneider reported that the park was usable and that he was putting together a final list of items still to be finished.
The Christmas Walk listings call the space the Pocket Park, and its approved name is Anishinaabe Park. If someone on Dec. 4 asks where the choirs are singing, either name will get them there.
Because of where the park sits, the choir contest pulls the Walk toward the stops the park was designed to connect: the museum next door and the Outback social district.
How the First Half Hour Lines Up
Here's the opening as posted on the Chamber's 2026 Christmas Walk page. The Chamber notes that times may shift.
- 6:00 p.m. The road closes, and the opening ceremony begins at Brooks Park with the NHS Jazz Band.
- 6:00 to 6:20 p.m. Welcome from the River Country Chamber, the honorary guest announcement, the official tree lighting, and more from the jazz band.
- 6:30 p.m. The Golden Carol Choir Competition starts at the pocket park.
The tight timing affects the singers more than the audience. Choirs are asked to check in 15 to 20 minutes before the competition, which works out to 6:10 to 6:15. That overlaps the 6:00 to 6:20 opening program at Brooks Park, so singers will want to plan their evening around check-in.
The opening program itself matches 2025. Last year's Walk fell on Friday, Dec. 5, ran 6 to 9 p.m., and had the same Brooks Park sequence: jazz band, Chamber welcome, honorary guest, tree lighting. Last year's contest was a best-dressed Santa, Mrs. Claus and elf competition at 37 North. The 2025 program had no choir contest.
The Golden Carol Rules
The registration page introduces the event in a single line:
"We're trying something new with our 1st Choir Competition."
That comes from the Chamber's Christmas Walk registration page, which also sets out the rules.
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Who can enter | School choirs, church choirs, community groups, and businesses or organizations that put a group together |
| Cost to enter | Free |
| Performance length | 5 to 7 minutes per choir |
| Songs | 1 or 2, with at least one Christmas or holiday song |
| Accompaniment | A cappella or a backing track |
| Setup | Keep it minimal, with no long equipment changes |
| Order | May be drawn at random ahead of time |
| Weather | Goes on in light snow; severe weather may cancel or relocate it |
Three judges score each choir on their own, out of 100 points. The scores are added together, and the highest total wins.
- Vocal performance, 40 points: harmony, pitch, overall sound
- Christmas spirit, 25 points: festive energy and enthusiasm
- Stage presence, 20 points: audience engagement and confidence
- Creativity, 15 points: song choice, arrangement, costumes, choreography
The winner is announced right after the last performance and takes home the Golden Carol Champion Trophy, plus "bragging rights for the year." Since this is the first contest, nobody has won it yet. A church choir, a school group or a few coworkers from a downtown business would be competing for the first title. Registration runs through the green icon on that page, which is also where vendors sign up.
From the Choirs to the Fireplaces
Once the choirs finish, the rest of the evening runs until 9 p.m. The Chamber says it will keep adding to the list, so these are the stops posted as of early November.
| Stop | What's planned |
|---|---|
| Independent Bank | Photos with Santa, hot cocoa and cookies |
| Newaygo Fire Department, across from Independent Bank | Hot cocoa and chili by donation |
| Heritage Museum of Newaygo County | The annual Christmas train table and the "Winter Walk" art show by NPS students |
| St. Mark's Episcopal Church | Treats and visits with St. Nicholas |
| The Outback Social District, behind Parsley's toward the museum | Fireplaces going, with food and drinks to order |
| The Stream | Chamber booth with the printed schedule |
| Food trucks | Big Mike's Kettle Corn and Carlson's Almonds |
The Chamber's event description also lists horse-drawn wagon rides, roasted chestnuts, merchant sales and church activities.
The museum and the Outback, together with the pocket park, are the three places the city's capital plan describes as connected. The Outback is older than the park. The Chamber's 2020–21 annual report described it as planned to become Newaygo County's first social district, funded with a $92,265 Rural Development Business Grant, and set on raised surfaces behind the businesses on the east side of M-37. The Outback was part of the 2025 Walk too, with the same fireplaces behind Parsley's.
If you'd like a drink by the fire, the Chamber's Outback listing spells out the rules. Drinks have to be bought from participating businesses, served in approved containers and finished inside the designated area. You can't carry them into another establishment or bring outside alcohol in.
Last year's sequence went tree lighting, then a scattered stroll. This year the crowd moves from the tree lighting to the choirs, and from the choirs it's a short trip to the museum's train table or a fireplace in the Outback.
The Museum Keeps Going Through December 30
The Walk lasts three hours, but the museum stays festive for most of December. The Heritage Museum's Winter Wonderland opens at the Christmas Walk on Dec. 4 and runs through Dec. 30 at 12 Quarterline St. It's open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., admission is free, and there's a train, a sleigh photo spot and Christmas trees.
If the art show or the train table gets crowded on Walk night, you can come back on a weekday afternoon, when there's more room for kids to see the train and for grandparents who'd rather skip a dark December evening.
Planning Around the Crowd
The Chamber put attendance at 4,700 guests in 2024. For Dec. 4:
- Arrive before 6 for the tree lighting, since the road closes as the program starts.
- Bring cash or small bills for the fire department's cocoa and chili, which are by donation, and for the kettle corn and almond trucks.
- Dress for standing outside. The choir contest goes on in light snow.
- Grab a printed schedule at the Chamber booth by The Stream, because the online list was still growing in November.
- Check the Chamber page the week of the Walk. The event map is marked as pending, and the Chamber says it will keep adding events.
The Chamber is also signing up volunteers and sponsors for the evening on its event page.
We love seeing Newaygo's downtown full on a December evening, and we'll be out cheering for whoever brings home the first Golden Carol trophy. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of nights like this one, or you'd like to talk through your plans for the new year, the team at Laura Veersma is glad to sit down with you. Contact Us whenever it suits you.
