Sentinel staff report–
The City of Citrus Heights will host a virtual tree lighting this year, in light of COVID-19 making the city’s traditional in-person lighting unfeasible.
City spokeswoman Nichole Baxter said the tree lighting will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10. She said the 10-minute ceremony will be broadcast live on Facebook, with the video then shared on YouTube.
The annual tree lighting ceremony 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’s new medical office building.
A new 22-foot-tall 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.
A recording of the broadcast will be included in The Sentinel’s Dec. 12 Weekend e-Edition. Click here to subscribe, free.
