Sentinel staff report–
Over 1,000 people attended the 21st annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Citrus Heights, held outside city hall on Thursday.
Following some seasonal tunes from the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band, Vice Mayor Steve Miller led attendees in a countdown just after 6:30 p.m., with the crowd cheering as the city’s 23-foot-tall tree lit up with hundreds of multi-colored bulbs. Miller was joined by fellow council members, the city manager, and “Jingle Julie,” who led the crowd in singing some holiday songs.
[Watch video of the tree lighting below]
The brief lighting ceremony was followed by complimentary hot cocoa, apple cider, and cookies — along with kettle corn sold by a vendor. Balloon twisting, carnival games, a snow-globe jump house, and free mini-train rides in the parking lot were also a hit with kids until about 8:30 p.m., when the event’s festivities were scheduled to conclude.
Several dressed-up characters also strolled through the event, along with a special appearance from Santa Claus.
“It reminds me of small town America, with the band and all the towns folk coming out,” Miller told The Sentinel following the ceremony. “We’ve got our share of characters; it reminds me of a movie like Groundhog Day.”
https://www.facebook.com/CitrusHeightsSentinel/videos/1492942480774913/
The annual tree lighting ceremony, sponsored this year by Republic Services, Sunrise Mall, and the Sunrise MarketPlace, has been held every year in Citrus Heights since the city’s incorporation. According to city records, the first tree lighting was held in front of the old city hall in 1997, followed by the lighting of a ceremonial tree from 1998 to 2002 between the city’s administrative and general services buildings.
In 2003, a space was made to plant a new tree at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive. That location continued to be used for the tree lighting until 2015, when the old city hall was demolished to pave way for Dignity Health to construct a medical office building.
A new Coastal Redwood tree was planted along with construction of the new city hall at 6360 Fountain Square Drive, which now serves as the city’s Christmas tree.
