GLOW ON THE GO: Spying lights on a vehicle, beyond the essential and all-important sources of illumination such as headlights and brake lights? It's not too uncommon come the holidays, where cars cruising along parade routes are apt to show up with a little sparkle (and, yes, the occasional pair of giant reindeer antlers suction-cup'd to the hood). But spying lights on a much larger vehicle, beyond the taillights and dashboard lights and all of the other important sources of brightness, is far more unusual than spying a convertible done up in its Christmas best. There are a few places around the Golden State that see such wondrous sights each year, and by "wondrous sights" we're referring to tractors and construction equipment wearing their yuletide finery. Ever spied a massive construction machine, the kind that can move earth or haul other huge vehicles or get the big jobs done, wearing wreaths and LED lights and a few decorative snowmen for good measure? It's quite the thing to behold, but people calling upon...
CALISTOGA... shall savor such spectacular sights on Saturday, Dec. 2. That's when the 22nd Annual Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade toodles along Lincoln Avenue from Stevenson Street to Cedar Street, and that's when locals and visitors line the sidewalks to get a peek at moving machines rocking their merriest looks. California is flush with festively offbeat events, and this charming Decembertime confection is way up there in that grouping, in sparkle, in small-town heart, and in sheer joie de vivre. It honors the area's "agricultural heritage," of course, and the tribute couldn't be more tender, community-oriented, or bright. Want to experience tractors, of the new and bygone sort, sporting lots and lots twinkly lights? Be in downtown Calistoga at 7 p.m. on the first Saturday in December 2017.
