Optimist Club lights up city with tree event

by Angie Asam– Staff Writer

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The sixth annual ?Light up the City? tree lighting ceremony in Westminster Park kicked off the holiday season. The Optimist Club and the Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the event. Special guest Santa Claus arrived with kids waiting to catch a glimpse of him. Santa was given the honor of lighting up all the trees in the park as Miss Rogers City Ashley Basel and her court counted down. In a swirl of magic, as Santa touched two candy canes together and the girls reached zero, the trees lit up simultaneously.

At the time of the tree lighting 140 trees were sold and Optimist Club members had 11 trees still available and were confident that all would be sold in the following days. The trees are purchased by local businesses, as well as people who buy them for family members and as memorials. Many businesses around town decorated their windows and stayed open late for shopping. Some even offered refreshments to the shoppers. The Lighthouse restaurant offered hot chocolate and cookies as a warming spot for those in attendance. Home shopping dollars were given to the children in attendance and were also available for purchase.

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