Bethel Park tree lighting signals start of holiday season
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Director Tricia Quinque leads the Independence Middle School Chorus in song.
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Santa Claus gets ready to greet youngsters following the tree lighting.
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Helping younsters with the “magic reindeer food” craft are Bethel Park High School students, from left, Sarah Goldenberg, Kathryn Anderson and Allison Scarlett.
Visiting with Santa Claus are Holli Lisak and her sons, from left, Cooper and Tanner.
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Abbey Wright, a senior who plays her Fender Telecaster electric guitar for the Bethel Park High School Jazz Ensemble, listens as Santa Claus reads “The Night Before Christmas.”
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Mayor Jack Allen, the event’s master of ceremonies, greets Santa Claus.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Children still have the opportunity to drop off their letters to Santa at the Bethel Park Community Center through Dec. 24.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
A lit tree brights the Bethel Park Community Center’s multipurpose room.
Bethel Park’s annual tree-lighting ceremony was twice as nice.
Evergreens were illuminated both inside and outside of the Bethel Park Community Center Wednesday, accommodating everyone who wanted to join in this year’s festivities.
In keeping with community center rules, masks were required indoors. But that didn’t seem to put any kind of damper on an event that featured a visit by everyone’s favorite white-bearded man in a red suit.
“Let me ask you a question,” Santa Claus announced after his arrival by fire truck. “In 24 days, where am I coming? To your houses! And I am getting nothing but good reports about all you good little boys and girls.
“Santa wants to tell you that he’s very proud of you.”
With that, he led audience members in singing “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” before doing a reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known nearly two centuries after its original publication as “The Night Before Christmas.”
Then came the evening’s highlight, for which Santa donned a special hand covering.
“I can do magical things with this glove. And tonight I’m going to do one of them, along with the mayor” – Jack Allen, who served as master of ceremonies – “and along with all of you. And that is magically, I’m going to light the Christmas tree.”
Following a countdown from 10, the lights went on, to much clapping of hands in the community center’s multipurpose room.
Also receiving substantial applause were performances by the Bethel Park High School Jazz Ensemble and Independence Middle School Chorus.
The tree-lighting ceremony also included a “magic reindeer food” craft for children and the opportunity to write letters to Santa. For youngsters who haven’t composed them yet, Santa’s Mailbox be available to receive deposits in front of the community center through Dec. 24.