As part of a county-wide movement to encourage local, sustainable holiday celebrations this year, SoCoCulture.org (the South King County Cultural Coalition) has joined County Executive Ron Sims and the mayors of several South County cities in issuing proclamations to “Buy and Celebrate Locally.”

“Even in these challenging economic times, people still want to celebrate the holidays, and many of our local performing arts organizations have really wonderful festivities,” said Linda Petersen, SoCoCulture Chairperson, pointing out that in Auburn alone, there are several holiday concerts and seasonal theater productions coming up.

She urged residents in South King County to check out the on-line events calendar at www.SoCoCulture.org, which offers one-stop cultural shopping listing events, dates, times, locations, ticket prices and more.

Tickets to local productions by Auburn Regional Theatre, Heavier Than Air Family Theatre and the Auburn Symphony make good gifts, as do beautiful artworks that are being offered for sale as part of a seasonal juried gallery show at the White River Valley Museum. And the Neely Mansion’s holiday celebration can be a special experience for the whole family.

Locally directed spending by consumers more than doubles the number of dollars circulating in a community, Petersen said, and contact information for all of the organizations mentioned above is available on the SoCoCulture web site.

People who choose to celebrate locally are invited to report their actions online at www.sustainableseattle.blogspot.com, where there are lots of tips on how to “Celebrate Local.”

Activities will be tracked and reported to spread awareness of new holiday traditions. Some of the participants who report actions also will be eligible for prizes including Chinook Books, Celebrate Green books, tickets to local cultural events, and more.