CITY'S CHRISTMAS TREE TO BE DELIVERED TO THE PUBLIC SQUARE TODAY
Tree lighting ceremony to coincide with the Nashville Christmas Parade
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 25, 2008) -As Nashvillians prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, Metro Parks staff will begin preparing the Historic Courthouse and the Public Square for Christmas with the delivery of the city’s Christmas tree today.
The 40-foot Norway spruce will be delivered around 12:30 p.m. to the Public Square near the intersection of Second Avenue and Union Street. The tree has been donated by Hermitage resident Cathy Cowan, and is being cut and delivered by Nashville Electric Service. Metro Parks will plant a replacement tree on Cowan’s property.
Over 3,500 colored lights will illuminate the tree, which will be lit by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and his family during the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Friday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. For the first time, the lighting ceremony will take place on the same night as the Nashville Christmas Parade, offering residents and visitors a full night of free holiday entertainment in downtown Nashville.
“The tree lighting and the Christmas Parade are two great Nashville traditions that kick off the holiday season each year. I encourage all Nashvillians and their families to join me downtown for a night of music, lights, fireworks and floats,” Dean said.
The parade is hosted by Piedmont Natural Gas and starts at 7 p.m. at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Broadway with a ribbon cutting and fireworks. The parade will travel east on Broadway and then up Second Avenue, passing the city’s Christmas tree before heading over the Woodland Street Bridge to LP Field.
Entertainment at the tree lighting ceremony will include American Idol Finalist and recording artist Phil Stacey, who is also this year’s Nashville Christmas Parade Grand Marshal. A quartet from the Barbershop Harmony Society will sing “The Chipmunk Song,” among other holiday classics.
Video of the Christmas Tree Delivery
For media inquiries contact:
Bonna Johnson
615-862-6461
bonna.johnson@nashville.gov