On the evening of Dec. 5, the City of Grand Terrace held their annual Christmas tree lighting event. A multitude of parents, children, and locals gathered alongside Barton Rd. and around the parking lot of Azure Hills Church to attend the tree lighting. The event had multiple food vendors present on site to serve a variety of food and snacks. Among some of the food options were “Chillin’ N’ Grillin’ Dad’s Competition BBQ” as well as “Ma & Pa Kettle Corn and More." The night was chilly and some people could be seen walking about wearing beanies, thick comfy sweaters, and gloves to stay warm. Bundled up with their steaming cup of delicious hot cocoa to keep them warm throughout their ventures. Even the smell of kettle corn could be detected upon arrival as it loomed through the air from the vendor's booth.
One of the night's main attractions was the skating rink! What a fun time that proved to be for many. There was even some kids wore roller blades and moved about the parking lot dressed as elves. Coordinators for the event told jokes and sang classic Christmas tunes while encouraging the children to also take part in the singing—which many did. Among other city officials, Grand Terrace City Manager Harold Duffey was in attendance and welcomed on stage to participate in the singing of Christmas songs. The city manager greeted all with a warm “Merry Christmas,” before singing “Rudolf and the Red-nosed Reindeer”.
After the singing, Duffey invited guests in attendance to stop by a booth where Grand Terrace Mayor Darcy McNaboe was located, to pick up flyers of future events in the city. The flyers will be mailed to city residents starting in 2020 for those who were unable to grab one at the event. As the evening continued, the speakers on stage relayed to the waiting children that Santa Clause was about to arrive to hear what the kids wanted for Christmas as well as take photos.
While traffic passed by on Barton Rd. as usual, the groups of people moved towards the Christmas tree, located next to the welcome sign of the city. The lights suddenly burst on into bright illumination, instantly met with applause by those gathered around. Immediately following the lighting of the tree, Santa could be seen sauntering past the groups of people, accompanied by a woman on each side of him as they made their way to take photos with excited kids. While some posed in photos with Santa, others posed with those dressed as characters from Star Wars, such as a Storm Trooper or Kylo Ren.
“Santa’s here,” was a common sentiment expressed by parents to their kids as the kids could be heard shouting “Santa!” in return, in a most excited way. The evening concluded with singing and dancing performances while many in attendance recorded the activities. And of course, parents and children gathered by the tree for photos, while couples also made their way toward the tree to snap selfies before leaving for the night. This year's tree lighting event was a huge success as residents and members of the community gathered in celebration for such an amazing occasion.