McMinnville's December now has one name, Illuminate, and one place, the campus of the North American Aerospace Museum. It runs from December 4, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Under that name are three separate operations. The museum runs Goose Lights. The McMinnville Chamber of Commerce runs the Glide & Gather skating rink. The See Ya Later Foundation runs a new drive-through called Starlight Lane. Each keeps its own days, hours and prices. If you want the full evening the Illuminate site describes, with lights, skating and a slow drive past displays, the posted schedules confirm nine Friday and Saturday evenings when you can have it, for three hours each. Sundays could add more once Goose Lights posts its Sunday hours.
Those nine evenings land on dates worth putting on the calendar now, and the downtown Merry McMinnville calendar fills in many of the nights around them.
The Building Has a New Name, and the Season Has a New Shape
If "North American Aerospace Museum" doesn't sound familiar yet, it's the building you have always called Evergreen. Flying magazine reported in August that the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum had changed its name. The Spruce Goose, the SR-71 Blackbird and the rest of the collection are staying put. Museum CEO Scot Laney told Flying that the new identity "better encompasses the vast scope of our historical preservation and educational programs" and called the change "not an erasure of our past but an elevation of our mission." The holiday materials shorten it to NORAM.
The holiday season there has grown by one piece a year:
| Season | What ran at the museum | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Goose Lights | Dec 14 to Dec 29 |
| 2025 | Goose Lights, plus Glide & Gather skating, billed as "new for 2025" | Nov 28 to Dec 31 |
| 2026 | Goose Lights, Glide & Gather and Starlight Lane, all under the Illuminate name | Dec 4 to Jan 3 |
The See Ya Later Foundation says this year "marks the beginning of Starlight Lane," so the drive-through is the one part nobody in town has seen before. The 2026 season also runs past New Year's Day for the first time in the three years shown above. That adds a weekend after the holiday rush.
Three Operators, Three Clocks
The Illuminate site's tagline is "Three experiences. One holiday destination." The three share a campus, and each keeps its own schedule:
| Goose Lights | Glide & Gather | Starlight Lane | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | The museum | McMinnville Chamber of Commerce | See Ya Later Foundation |
| Days | Monday through Saturday hours posted; Sunday hours not yet listed; closed Dec 25 | Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, except Dec 25 | Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, except Dec 25 |
| Hours | Mon–Thu 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fri–Sat 9 a.m.–8 p.m. | Fri and Sun 4–8 p.m.; Sat 1–8 p.m. | 5–9 p.m. |
| Price | $12 adults, $7 kids | $10 per person, skates included | $20 per vehicle |
Read across the rows and the overlap shows up. Goose Lights closes at 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the other two don't run Monday through Thursday at all. Starlight Lane opens at 5. Skating and Goose Lights both close at 8 on Fridays and Saturdays. That leaves Friday and Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. as the only posted window when all three are open.
The posted Goose Lights schedule doesn't list Sunday hours, though Sundays fall inside the season. Skating and Starlight Lane both run Sunday evenings. Check Goose Lights' Sunday hours with the museum before you plan a Sunday around it.
The Nine Evenings That Line Up
The foundation lists Starlight Lane's exact dates as December 4–6, 11–13, 18–20 and 26–27, then January 1–3. Christmas falls on a Friday this year and everything is closed. That leaves these Friday and Saturday evenings with all three parts open from 5 to 8 p.m.:
- Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5: opening weekend
- Friday, December 11, and Saturday, December 12
- Friday, December 18, and Saturday, December 19
- Saturday, December 26: the only full evening that week, since the 25th is dark
- Friday, January 1, and Saturday, January 2: the closing weekend
That's nine evenings and twenty-seven posted hours for anyone who wants all three in one outing, with Sundays a possible addition. Most people won't need all three in one night, and Illuminate's own materials encourage you to "make a night of it, or come back and experience it all." The schedule also points to other ways to split it up:
- Monday through Thursday daytime is Goose Lights only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the aircraft and lights to yourself and no rink or drive-through. Santa Land in the Aerodrome Theater is part of Goose Lights, where kids can meet Santa and share their wish lists.
- Saturday afternoons give the rink its longest stretch, opening at 1 p.m., hours before the drive-through lights come on.
- Sunday evenings pair skating from 4 to 8 with Starlight Lane from 5 to 9. That's an easy two-part outing, with Goose Lights to be confirmed.
What the Combination Ticket Covers
There is a combination ticket, but it joins only two of the three operators. Goose Lights and Glide & Gather together cost $20 for adults and $17 for kids. Bought separately, an adult pays $12 plus $10, or $22. A child pays $7 plus $10, or $17, the same as the combo. So the bundle saves each adult $2 and saves kids nothing. Its real value is one transaction instead of two.
Starlight Lane is separate and charged per vehicle at $20. A household of two adults and two kids doing all three would pay $74 in combo tickets plus $20 for the car, or $94. A carful of friends splits that $20 however many ways there are seats.
Ticket sales were listed as "coming soon" on the Illuminate pages in mid-October. illuminatemac.com is the place to watch for them. The foundation's page lists the event at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way.
Where the Drive-Through Money Goes
The split between operators matters for more than scheduling. The See Ya Later Foundation describes itself as a nonprofit dedicated to "inspiring youth and encouraging families." Through its Seeds of Hope and Youth Opportunities programs, it funds events, scholarships, and support for families facing life-threatening medical challenges. Its Starlight Lane page says supporting the drive-through helps that work continue. The same page links to volunteer and sponsorship sign-ups for anyone who wants to help with year one.
Downtown Fills the Weeknights
Illuminate's schedule leaves Monday through Thursday evenings open, and the Merry McMinnville calendar from the McMinnville Downtown Association and partners fills much of that space. It also stacks a few events onto Illuminate weekends:
- Santa Parade and Tree Lighting, Friday, November 27, 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Third Street, a week before Illuminate opens.
- The Ground Holiday Market at Stillwater, November 27 to 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with local artisans and makers.
- Holiday Storefront Display Contest, December 1 through January 1, with decorated windows along Third Street.
- Metal Arts at the Fairgrounds, Saturday, December 12, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Yamhill County Fairgrounds, ticketed. It's the same day as one of the nine Illuminate evenings, so a gift-shopping day and a night at the museum fit together.
- Locals Night, Thursday, December 17, 4 to 7 p.m. downtown, on a Thursday when the rink and drive-through are dark and Goose Lights closes at 5. Participating shops offer scratch-offs, and there's a new bingo card this year: five stamps from participating businesses enter you in a raffle. Some shops collect food donations for YCAP.
- Wonderland Brew Festival at The Bitter Monk, December 18 to 20, which overlaps the third Illuminate weekend.
For a weekday Goose Lights morning, there's a new coffee stop on the way. That Oregon Life reported that Pioneer Joe Coffee Company opened at 416 NE Third Street on September 14, 2026, run by owners Jerome and Gitl Black. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nine full Illuminate evenings, a Thursday on Third Street, and a Saturday at the fairgrounds can fill most of December. If you're new to McMinnville this season, or have family visiting who'd enjoy a night under the Spruce Goose, I'm happy to share how locals put their holiday weeks together. Vanessa Corder is always glad to talk about the town's traditions, old and new. Let's Connect.
