On Monday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m., the Town of Bayfield will hold its first annual Holiday Tree Lighting at Town Hall. Most of the rest of this year's holiday calendar runs through community groups and one building on Bayfield Center Drive. The tree lighting gives that calendar a public starting point, and the dates around it show where the rest of the season happens.
The town's announcement is short. Here it is in full, from the Town of Bayfield's news release dated Nov. 6, 2026:
"The Town of Bayfield is hosting its first annual Holiday Tree Lighting event! Monday, November 30th at 6pm at Town Hall. Come help us welcome the holiday season with lights and carols."
The word "annual" matters more than anything else in the release. The town is planning a tradition, and this year's crowd is the first one.
A Monday night, the week after Thanksgiving
The timing works in the event's favor. Nov. 30 falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend, the first weeknight once the holiday travel is over. A 6 p.m. start means people can come straight from work. In late November it will also be fully dark by then, so the lights will show.
It also arrives at the right moment in the calendar. Ahead of it, the season has mostly been small library gatherings. After it, December fills up quickly. Within eight days of the lighting, Bayfield has a two-day model railroad show, a statewide giving day with a library campaign attached, and a week of student holiday sales.
Before the lights: a quieter week at the library
The week before Thanksgiving belongs to Pine River Library at 395 Bayfield Center Dr. Its November calendar includes:
- Cookbook Club, Wednesday, Nov. 18
- Kaffeeklatsch!, Thursday, Nov. 19
- Cozy Crafts: Woodland Animals, Friday, Nov. 20
The library's online calendar has the details for each one. The library will come up again, because the first big weekend after the tree lighting happens in the same building.
The first weekend after: model trains on Bayfield Center Drive
The first big event after the lighting is the Silver San Juan Division Holiday Train Fest, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5–6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pine River Library.
The host is the Silver San Juan Division, which serves model railroaders across Southwest Colorado and Northwest New Mexico. It belongs to the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Model Railroad Association. The division's regular meetings cover clinics, model contests, railroad history and operations, and many are for members only. The Holiday Train Fest is open to anyone.
According to the division's schedule, the weekend centers on a Silver San Juan & Pacific modular meet, with other layouts set up alongside it. At a modular meet, members each build sections of track and scenery to shared standards, then connect them into one large layout for the event. With two full days, people can stop by more than once.
Bringing kids? The division requires minors and at-risk persons to be accompanied for the whole event by a legal guardian or by another adult the guardian has designated in writing. The library's own calendar lists the event as "Silver San Juan Holiday Railfest" on Dec. 5. Check the division's site for the hours before you go.
The Tuesday after: a refresh for the library itself
Colorado Gives Day falls on Tuesday, Dec. 8. This year the Friends of the Pine River Library are running a campaign called Library Refresh, and the library has been taking gifts for it since Nov. 1.
What the money pays for ties straight back to the calendar above. Per the library's campaign page, donations will:
- Reupholster 20 pieces of library furniture, mostly chairs and ottomans.
- Add high-quality microphones and speakers to the Community Room, so everyone can hear during programs and presentations.
The library itself calls the Community Room "very popular" and "frequently used." The giving day comes two days after the Train Fest, and the new audio is meant for the programs and presentations the room hosts.
There are three ways to give:
| Method | How |
|---|---|
| Online | Colorado Gives donation page for the Friends of the Pine River Library |
| Check | Payable to "Friends of the Pine River Library," with "Library Refresh" on the memo line, mailed to Pine River Library, P.O. Box 227, Bayfield, CO 81122 |
| In person | Stop by the library and staff will help you make your online donation |
The same week: Reindeer Lane
From Monday, Dec. 7, through Friday, Dec. 11, Bayfield Intermediate School's event calendar lists Reindeer Lane Christmas Sales. The listing gives no hours or other details. Families with students there will likely hear more through the school.
Out on US 160: one more change at Gem Village
The in-town calendar isn't the only change this season. Out in Gem Village, the bar at 39848 U.S. Highway 160 is set to change hands again.
The Durango Herald reported in September that The Lost Goat Tavern would close at the end of that month. The tavern had opened in January 2025 in the space the Billy Goat Saloon occupied until 2024. According to the Herald, the property's ownership group agreed to sell part of its interest, including the property, to a new owner and operator described as longtime Bayfield residents, who would take possession once the sale was finalized. A new business at the same address, Gem Village Bar & Grill, has announced it will open soon. The Lost Goat's website now says the tavern has closed and points visitors to the Gem Village Bar & Grill.
That would make three names at one Highway 160 address in about two years. For anyone east of town, it's a place to watch as the holidays get closer.
The calendar in one place
- Wed., Nov. 18: Cookbook Club, Pine River Library
- Thu., Nov. 19: Kaffeeklatsch!, Pine River Library
- Fri., Nov. 20: Cozy Crafts: Woodland Animals, Pine River Library
- Mon., Nov. 30, 6 p.m.: First annual Holiday Tree Lighting, Bayfield Town Hall
- Sat.–Sun., Dec. 5–6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: Silver San Juan Division Holiday Train Fest, Pine River Library
- Mon.–Fri., Dec. 7–11: Reindeer Lane Christmas Sales, Bayfield Intermediate School
- Tue., Dec. 8: Colorado Gives Day, Library Refresh campaign for the Friends of the Pine River Library
Five of those dates fall at Pine River Library on Bayfield Center Drive, and the library also helps with in-person giving on Dec. 8. The tree lighting gives Town Hall its first spot on the list.
Jeremiah Aukerman works out of Durango and Bayfield, and he keeps up with how Bayfield changes year to year, including new traditions like this one. If the holidays have you wondering what your Bayfield home would sell for this winter, request a free home valuation. You'll get a straight, local answer.
