PENDLETON — Bonny Clark first became the event coordinator for the annual Christmas in Pendleton three years ago.

Since moving to Pendleton in 1997, she has fallen in love with the community and strives to be involved with as many organizations as possible. Her 25 years in hotel hospitality has provided oodles of experience in event planning, making her the natural choice to spearhead this annual event.

She and her husband, Keith, have raised two children, Kyle Clark and Kirsten Diedrich, who both graduated from Pendleton schools. Kirsten has returned to teach at Maple Ridge Elementary.

Clark recently chatted about the plans for Christmas in Pendleton, set for Saturday. Among activities are the tossing of Styrofoam “snowballs” and the availability of a special Christmas in Pendleton cancellation stamp at the post office.

Q: How did you first become involved with Christmas in Pendleton?

A; Three years ago, I was talking with Dennis Ashley (co-owner of The Flower Cart) and he mentioned the upcoming event and talked about the need to make the festival grow. I shared with Dennis that they needed some “feature” events, something to really draw people to come downtown and promote the unique shopping that Pendleton offers.

I started making a list of everything I could think of that had to do with Christmas and the holiday season. The list was two, single-spaced pages long. I took the list to Dennis and Diane Ashley and shared with them some “feature” ideas, such as the Snowball Toss and Igloo Building. Within a few days, Diane contacted me and asked if I would coordinate the festival that year, only 6 weeks away!

Q: What is your favorite part about Christmas in Pendleton?

A: My favorite part of the day is the shopping! No, perhaps the hot cocoa at Barista’s or watching the children making snow angels in the snow on the sidewalks. It is truly a magical day! Coordinating a major event like this takes a great deal of time and energy. Why are you willing make that sacrifice at the busiest time of the year?

Q: You incorporate many original ideas into the event — designing an original postmark, orchestrating a snowball fight, securing a meteorologist to measure the snow. Where do these ideas come from?

A: Everything starts from a scratch pad with a list of ideas. I may see something in the newspaper, or watch something on TV or even see a brochure while traveling. The postmark idea came to me after the first year I coordinated Christmas in Pendleton. I was looking at my mail one day and saw a unique postmark. I made a quick trip to meet with Ed Carter, Pendleton Postmaster, and discuss the idea. It didn’t take long for it to catch on. There are “postal cancellation” collectors all over the world. Our first year, we had 25 states and 3 foreign countries request the postal cancellation.

The Snowball Toss idea was just a stroke of mental success. Deciding how to make it work was a little harder. We knew we couldn’t actually toss real snowballs, so Styrofoam was the next best thing. We searched for good prices and went with 300 snowballs the first year. After handing out snowballs to all the children and running out quite quickly, we reviewed photos and noticed that it was the adults who took over the “toss” and were having a blast. This past year, we ordered 3,000 snowballs. It’s grown so big, so fast.

Q: Many stores in Pendleton have closed due to the difficult economic climate. Did that change your planning strategies at all?

A: The turn in the economy is very concerning to all the retailers in Pendleton. Many of these businesses sponsored the children’s activities for Christmas in Pendleton. This year, we have had to seek new sponsors and handle things in a little different manner.

The bottom line is that there is still a lot to do and shop for in downtown Pendleton. There are many people and organizations who truly care about keeping the downtown area a nostalgic shopping atmosphere.

Q: Does your heightened involvement in the season cause you to “burn out” on Christmas themes before Christmas actually arrives?

A: Burn out? What’s that? I start on many Christmas activities while it’s 90 degrees outside. I always decorate trees for the Paramount Theatre’s Festival of Trees in downtown Anderson, I design mini-trees and wreathes for the annual Anderson Noon Exchange Club mini-auction, help with the Exchange Club Children’s Magical Christmas, Ovid Community Church Giving Tree, and the Victoria Guild Christmas Corner. I guess I don’t where Christmas starts and ends anymore. I do manage to get my own home decorated for the holidays, Christmas shop, and enjoy the holidays with my family.

Q: What is it about Christmas in Pendleton that really brings residents out to enjoy the event?

A: Wow! That’s a hard question to answer. I got a call from a lady who said that the Snowball Toss was a terrific idea and she thought it was the best thing ever to happen to Pendleton. Another mother told me that Christmas in Pendleton was a mother and daughter shopping tradition. They wouldn’t miss it for the world. Then, I look at the shop owners and see how excited they get about the festival, put out the snow, open their doors to the shoppers, and light up when the sales start ringing up. There’s something for everyone. I think that’s the beauty of the Christmas in Pendleton.