Tuesday, November 29, 2011

New Haven tree lighting is Thursday on Green

NEW HAVEN — Santa Claus will visit the Elm City Thursday to kick off the holiday season at the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the downtown Green.
The Norway spruce towering 65 feet over the Green will be lit with 20,000 energy-efficient LED lights at 5:30 p.m. The tree was donated by Steve and Marie McDermott of North Branford and is being sponsored by Peoples United Bank.
The celebration features live music performances by students from Brennan-Rogers School, Mauro-Sheridan Magnet School, Celentano Museum Academy and the Educational Center for the Arts Vocal Ensemble. Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Gil Simmons of WTNH News 8 will act as co-hosts for the event.

Santa will visit with kids and take photos until 7:30 p.m. Children can participate in free activities, such as carousel rides, mini-car rides, holiday crafts, storytelling, and free mechanical animal rides as part of an "Alpine Safari."
The ceremony is put on by city’s Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism and Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees. Children’s activities are sponsored by Casey Family Services and Yale-New Haven Hospital.
DeStefano said in a statement the tree lighting celebration is a regional tradition and he urged people "stick around afterwards to enjoy the world-class shopping, arts and food here in New Haven."
In case of "extreme inclement weather," the event will be postponed until Friday. For information, call (203) 946-7172 or go to www.infonewhaven.com.
Photo: Shows last year's tree

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