Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Awards Event Celebrates the Holiday Season
Mayor Kicks Off Holiday Season
Historic downtown Edmond is aglow with over 50,000 lights and there are even more to come! The Annual Mayor’s Tree Lighting will mark the official beginning of the Christmas holiday on November 29. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Festival Market Place Plaza located west of Broadway on First Street.
The celebration will commence with a performance by the Oklahoma Christian Saints Jazz Band followed by songs of the season presented by the Edmond Community Chorale and the Edmond Children’s Chorus.
At 6 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Charles Lamb will light the 16 foot loblolly pine tree donated by Sorghum Mill Tree Farm and placed in the plaza earlier this month. “The new Christmas tree is a perfect addition to our downtown holiday festivities, “said Lamb. “The tree lighting event is a great way for the community to come together and celebrate the holiday season.”
Following the lighting of the tree, the Mayor Pro Tem will present the winners of the Mayor’s Essay Contest. According to Melissa Meyers, Recreation Specialist for Edmond Parks and Recreation, “More than 850 entries were received for this year’s contest, which had as its theme ‘If you could make a snow sculpture in your yard, what would you create and why?’.” Meyers said the first place award winners will have the opportunity to read their essays to the event attendees.
Other activities during the celebration include photos with Santa by the Karen Moore Studio. Cost for the photos will be $10 and $15 and the finished photos will be available for pick up at the studio.
The U.S. Marine Corps will be accepting new toys and toys in unopened boxes for their Toys for Tots program and members of the Noon Exchange Club of Edmond will be giving away “Support Our Troops” buttons.
Edmond Mayor Dan O’Neil, though unable to attend the event, wanted to show the community’s support for Edmond’s men and women serving abroad. O’Neil invited the families of those in the military to the Tree Lighting as special guests. According to Tim Tillman, retired U.S. Army Sergeant, military family members will be brought by buses to the plaza to enjoy the celebration.
During the festivities, Absolutely Nuts will sell roasted nuts and tamales will also be available for purchase.
Neighbors Coffee will provide complimentary hot chocolate and coffee for attendees, who are encouraged to stroll the downtown area and visit the stores that will be open late until 8 p.m. The merchants will be kicking off their Dickens weekend and will be dressed in Victorian attire. Many of the downtown stores will provide hot cider and cookies.
Carriage rides, available for $10, will add to the enchantment of the event. Karen Morton, President of the Downtown Edmond Business Association, said “We are building a tradition for downtown Edmond, with the Mayor’s Tree Lighting and Essay Awards, Festival Market Place Plaza and WinterGlow, that we hope to expand each year.”
WinterGlow is the University of Central Oklahoma’s (UCO) annual holiday festival. It begins at 7 p.m. with a tree lighting near Broncho Lake followed by seasonal games and activities in the UCO Nigh University Center. The WinterGlow festival promotes an emphasis on the importance of community and tradition.
“Edmond’s holiday celebration is a collaborative effort,” said Morton “We want families to come downtown and celebrate this special time of year in the magical atmosphere created by thousands and thousands of lights. “ DEBA lights all the trees and light poles for the three main blocks on Broadway and places wreaths on each lamp post at the intersections. The entrances to downtown on Broadway will feature two Mr. and Mrs. Snowmen.
“This event gives people a chance to see how charming and vibrant our downtown is and it showcases all that the downtown area has to offer with the brick-accented sidewalks, decorative benches, public art and new Festival Market Place plaza,” said Terry Lanham, Special Venues Coordinator with Edmond’s Parks and Recreation.
Lanham said the Christmas celebration builds on the energy and excitement created in the plaza with last July’s dedication of the Leaping into History sculpture, the brick-paved walkway and the time capsule.
For more information about the event, contact the City of Edmond’s Parks and Recreation office at (405) 359-4630.
Issued: November 21, 2007
