Last chance for Oklahomans to visit Sapulpa’s iconic Route 66 Christmas Chute

SAPULPA, Okla. — Sapulpa’s Route 66 Christmas Chute has become a national hit. It’s been featured on the “Today Show” and in magazines like “Southern Living.”

One of the organizers, Will Berry, helped come up with the idea for the Christmas Chute, but said he never imagined it would take off like this.

Berry said, “We felt like this idea was different than anything else that anyone has ever done or seen. With no expectations, it’s exceeded anything that we could have ever thought.”

After seeing social media posts from friends, Aubrey Iasiello and her family had to see it for themselves.

MORE: Sapulpa prepares for this year’s Route 66 Christmas Chute event

“We’ve seen so many people have come out here. We’ve seen friends posted on Facebook and seeing all their pictures and everyone said it’s definitely worth the drive,” Iasiello said.

Aside from Christmas cheer, organizers say the chute also brought an extra economic boost to main street businesses.

“Throughout the overall two months that it was open, it’s been fantastic,” Berry explained. “They said it’s been an amazing kinda record type year.”

The Christmas Chute brought many people, like Iasiallo, to Sapulpa for the very first time.

Iasiello said, “We’ve never been here, so we’re just kind of looking at the little shops and just checking everything out. They’ve already bought some popcorn and candy.”

New Year’s weekend is everyone’s last chance to experience the carefully decorated canopies and more than 35,000 Christmas lights. By Jan. 3, it all comes down and moves to storage.

“We’re going to store it all. So, we have a place for all the decorations and all the panels that are holding the decorations, we have a building in our downtown. And then all the structures will go out to some city property that will be stacked and stored and covered and all that,” Berry told FOX23.

It should take about a week to take everything down, organizers said. They’re already making plans for a bigger and better next year.

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