"It's fun to see the tradition return. We are all about preserving traditions!" Sara Hanson, executive director of the White Bear Lake Historical Society, told Press Publications last fall. She was talking about a downtown ornament that came back after more than three decades. As of mid-October, the holiday dates set in stone in White Bear Lake belong to two nonprofits that work in old buildings and old traditions. The largest event of the season will fill an Armory whose cornerstone went in on September 27, 1922.
The Dates Already Locked In
Two organizations have published their full 2026 schedules. A third has a weekly program on the calendar through mid-December.
| What | Where | 2026 dates | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Festival of Trees | White Bear Lake Armory, 2228 4th St. | Nov 19 to Dec 19 | Free. Wed 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thu 2 to 8 p.m., Fri and Sat 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Festival of Trees open houses | White Bear Lake Armory | Dec 5 and Dec 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Free photos with Santa, cookies, cocoa, activities, holiday music |
| Irving Berlin's White Christmas | Hanifl Performing Arts Center, 4941 Long Ave. | Nov 20 to Dec 13 | Pay-what-you-want performance Thursday, Dec 3 |
| Studio Coffee | White Bear Center for the Arts, 4971 Long Ave. | Fridays through Dec 18 | 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. |
The overlap matters for planning. White Christmas opens the day after the Festival of Trees does, and the two run side by side for more than three weeks. The festival keeps evening hours only on Thursdays, until 8 p.m. A Thursday is the only weekday when an after-work visit to the trees is possible, and the Lakeshore Players' pay-what-you-want night also falls on a Thursday, December 3.
The Lakeshore Players Theatre lists a run time of about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission, and offers free parking in the lot around the Hanifl Performing Arts Center. Hanifl and the White Bear Center for the Arts are just thirty house numbers apart on Long Avenue, so a Friday morning Studio Coffee and an evening show can share one trip downtown.
A Building That Has Been Hosting Crowds Since 1925
According to the Historical Society's history of the Armory, the building went up for the National Guard, and by 1925 it was already hosting community events. Its record since then includes a lot of damage and repair:
- December 7, 1928: a fire destroyed the front portion, which was later rebuilt.
- January 1941: the local Guard unit left for Camp Haan. The Home Guard used the Armory during the war.
- September 1941: a cyclone damaged the building again.
The city later took ownership after the building was decommissioned. Sources give different dates for that. The Historical Society says the 1980s, and Press Publications reported that the city paid $1 for it in 1996. The later dates are not in dispute. The Historical Society moved in in 2013 and bought the building from the city in 2022.
Since the 2022 purchase, the building has been changing. In its March 2026 update on the Armory's future, the Society reports that it replaced the old elevator in 2023. Langer Construction then finished masonry restoration on the Headhouse during the spring and summer of 2025. Crews removed the parapets at the top of the Headhouse, cleaned the century-old brick, and rebuilt the parapets with fresh mortar. Along the way they found that the western parapet was in better shape than expected. They also found water getting in over the main doors on the north side, so money budgeted for the west parapet went to fixing the leak. The Society says the project finished on time and slightly under budget.
The inside has changed too. Staff offices moved to the main level. The former gym is now a multi-use Exhibit Hall that holds the semi-permanent exhibit X Marks the Spot, a gift shop of local items, and space for traveling exhibits and presentations. The Festival of Trees fills this updated building from November 19.
What Changes at the Festival of Trees in 2026
According to the Festival of Trees page, more than 50 trees decorated by community groups will fill the Armory, and the festival has welcomed more than 9,000 visitors. The trees come from local organizations, and the entry fees fund the Society's work. Businesses pay $100 and nonprofits pay $50 to enter a decorated tree, and that money goes to the Society's community programs and preservation work. Preservation work at the Armory itself includes the masonry project described above.
The 2026 materials mark two things as new this year. The first is a $500 Sugar Plum sponsor tier. The second is a $250 private gathering inside the festival space. The private option gives a group 2 to 3 hours among the trees. Groups can order from restaurant-partner menus or bring outside catering and drinks, which are not included in the rental fee. Only select days are available. That gives an office party, a book club, or a family reunion over the holidays a booked option at the Armory, alongside the free daytime hours.
For regular visitors, entry is still free. The visitor pages invite people to stroll the trees and decide which one they like best. They do not describe a formal voting, raffle, or auction process for 2026. The Society is also looking for volunteers to help decorate, and it takes sponsor and decorator entries through its festival page.
The Ornament That Came Back
The second tradition-keeping effort comes from downtown. From 1987 to 1993, shoppers in downtown White Bear Lake bought a "Holiday Greetings" ornament each year at PaperMill Gift Shop on Banning Avenue. Most designs showed the bear, and one showed the gazebo at Railroad Park.
Press Publications reported that White Bear Lake Main Street Inc. brought the ornament back in 2025. The nonprofit's board is made up of downtown business owners. The 2025 ornament was a bear made by Mark and Vicki Larson of Lasered Pics. Emily Blake, co-owner of Oldies and Goodies, reached out to them about it. Unlike the original series, which sold at one shop, the revival was sold at several downtown businesses, including Press Publications. The Historical Society keeps a set of the original series in its collection and said it would add a 2025 ornament.
As of October 12, there has been no public word on a 2026 ornament. Main Street Inc. has not announced a design, a maker, or where it will be sold.
Downtown's Own Dates Are Still Unannounced
Downtown has not posted its 2026 dates. As of mid-October, the Explore White Bear events page lists no holiday events, and the City's calendar shows nothing downtown for the holidays in the month it currently displays.
Last year's schedule is the best guide for now:
- Railroad Park Gazebo Lighting: Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 5 to 7 p.m.
- Downtown Holiday Open House: Thursday, November 20, 2025, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Small Business Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 2024 schedule followed a similar timeline. Explore White Bear listed a combined Holiday Open House and Gazebo Lighting on November 21, 2024, with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Railroad Park, a 6 p.m. countdown to the lighting, and carolers. Two years in a row, the downtown kickoff fell the week before Thanksgiving. Those are last year's dates, and Explore White Bear and Main Street Inc. will confirm this year's.
Whatever downtown announces, it will be planning around a festival that opens at the Armory on November 19 and a musical that opens at Hanifl on November 20.
The Armory restoration is an example of how upkeep on an older building adds up over time, from the parapets and mortar to keeping water out over the doors. Plenty of homes near downtown White Bear Lake face smaller versions of the same questions. If you own one and want to know how its condition and past repairs show up in its value, Maisa Olson can walk you through it with appraisal-grade research. Book a free valuation consultation.
