2012 Holiday Tree Lighting to be Bigger Than Ever
Earlier start time and additional attractions for this year’s holiday ceremony.
Santa is again coming to Springfield. And this year, he’s bringing a bag stuffed with new attractions.
The annual municipal tree lighting ceremony, set for Sunday, Dec. 2, will feature its traditional mainstays of lighting the tree, a dramatic Santa appearance and children singing holiday songs. But this year, the event has been supersized with new features, including a petting zoo, hayrides and more.
“After last year, the office staff and I discussed all year about expanding the event a bit,” Springfield recreation director Mike Tennaro said in an email, adding that they were looking “to create a better community event for all to enjoy."
The tree lighting will again be held outside town hall at Town Hall Lawn and North Trivett Avenue. In the past, the event, was held in the early evenings on a weeknight. To accommodate the added activities, the ceremony’s start time has been moved up two hours to 4 p.m. and re-positioned in the week.
“We are also having the event at Town Hall on a Sunday hoping more families can attend together,” Tennaro said.
Santa Claus will again come to town to make himself available to children following a daredevil descent from the municipal building’s roof via a fire engine ladder. In addition, the afternoon will have hayrides, a petting zoo and an edible craft tables for children.
Tennaro said the expanded program required the expanded program required the assistance of many local organizations, and noted that
Public Works; the fire department, the police force, the FMBA, PBA, the Springfield First Aid Squad; the Office of Emergency Management, the Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield Municipal Alliance, the Rotary Club, volunteers form throughout the town and businesses including the Ice Hut and Mack Camera.
And for those looking to give, local charity Springfield H.O.P.E will be collecting new unwrapped toys and Barnes and Noble gift cards.
B Freeman
11:29 am on Thursday, November 29, 2012
Great !!!! more tax dollars being spent on an elaborate Christmas celbration and nothing for Hanukah.
Peggy
12:10 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
This is for ALL children & their families. Make some happy memories after a very hard time for the people of Springfield following Sandy.
B Freeman
1:53 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tree lighting ceremony, carolers and Santa sounds very Jewish to me.
Why not have a menorah lighting ceremony, serve latkes and have a dreidel game contest.
For the record, I'm not against any of this. It's exlcusive and not inclusive. If it is not about Christmas then move it to July when the weather is warmer.
A rose by any other name is still a rose. It's a town sponsored Christmas celebration that excludes 30-40% of the residents. Something is wrong here.
Dee
2:20 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
When I moved here, nearly 30 years ago, there used to be a Nativity scene and a Menorah displayed together on the town hall lawn. Can't recall when or what the reason was that they discontinued this display. Sadly, I guess these days more and more towns are feeling it's better to play it safe and keep any religious symbols out of their holiday celebrations. Personally, I have no problem with it, especially when everyone is represented fairly. The more the merrier!
Rose King
8:54 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
WHERE is the large MENORAH!!!! WHERE is the HANUKKAH celebration? HOLIDAY celebrations means ALL holidays! Strong Jewish population in Springfield ... The tree is nice, BUT, WHY should $ only be spent on Christmas?
Peggy
4:07 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
B Freeman please stop make this a religious issue. My children had a great teacher here in Springfield named Mrs. O Anderson. She taught them many things but the thing they remember most was the holidays. They got to experience Chanukah & Kwanzaa. To this day I make them potato pancakes & we talk about the miracle of the oil. We also talk about the importance of Kwanzaa. I went to a Christian school & never had the chance to hear or learn about other religions. My children are better people & more understand because of what they learned.
BART FRAENKEL
5:34 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
Unfortunately B Freeman has a very limited intellectual capacity and makes everything a bias issue. If you read some of the posts regarding the basketball courts you'll see it there, too. Fortunately most Jewish residents of Springfield don't feel the same way as B Freeman and see the celebration as something they can participate in, if they want to. No one is excluded and no one is asked about their religious beliefs.
robert edwardson
8:55 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
b freeman is standing up for the city that has a huge population! suck it up!!!!
john edwardson
8:56 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
b freeman is standing up for the city that has a huge population! suck it up!!!!
john edwardson
8:58 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
SPRINGFIELD IS MOSTLY JEWISH PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY CANT WE HAVE A GIFT UNDER THE TREE WITH A JEWISH STAR?
john edwardson
8:59 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
Fortunately most Jewish residents of Springfield don't feel the same way as B Freeman and see the celebration as something they can participate in, if they want to. No one is excluded and no one is asked about their religious beliefs. I TOOK THIS FROM AN ARTICLE! THIS IS REDICULOUS. JEWISH THINGS SHOULD BE PUT UP
BART FRAENKEL
9:19 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
Really???, I didn't say or mean he's dumb, I said limited, meaning that in his posts, its either one way or the other, and there's no in between--it's only for people who celebrate Christmas and it excludes everyone else. That's a limited understanding because those aren't the only choices. There are plenty of people who will come regardless of whether or not they celebrate Christmas.
Elf on the Shelf
3:46 pm on Sunday, December 2, 2012
People need to get a life... I'm not Jewish, but it's my understanding that the main holy Jewish holiday is Yom Kippur. The town doesn't celebrate Easter so get over yourselves. And I fully agree that there should be a Menorah on the town hall front lawn like there used to be as well as a recognition of Kwanzaa. And FYI the donuts and hot chocolate provided by the FMBA local 57 members- not your tax dolloars and they are also not compensated for being there.
Jeff strumpf
5:27 pm on Sunday, December 2, 2012
Perhaps I am missing something here but how hard would it be simply put a menorah on the front lawn of the town hall. And if those who celebrate Kwanza and other religious holidays the more the merrier.
We are a rainbow society where everyone's religious beliefs should be respected
Jeff strumpf
5:29 pm on Sunday, December 2, 2012
What imeant to say in my previous post is for those who celebrate Kwanza and other religious holidays, we should publicly celebrate those as well with so e sort of appropriate display on the Town Hall lawn