Centreville celebrates the Christmas season with a Wednesday night tree-lighting

B1

By Shawn Merrithew

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

A Christmas buzz filled in the mild air in Centreville Wednesday night, as residents gathered in the village park to welcome the festive season.

1 of 6

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Centreville's oldest resident Eddie Hughley had the distinct honour of lighting up the trees in the village park to kick of the community's annual launch of the Christmas season last Wednesday evening.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

The trees lit up the village park, officially kicking off Christmas in the northern Carleton County community.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Children from the Centreville Community School entertain the crowd, singing numerous classic Christmas carols as they all await the arrival of a special guest.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Santa Claus arrived in Centreville in style, with a little help from Redneck Racing.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Jolly St. Nick is greeted by Centreville Mayor Gary Thomas. The jovial elf made a special visit to the village during the tree lighting ceremony.

PHOTO BY SHAWN MERRITHEW

Numerous children welcomed the man in red to the village. Santa showed his appreciation by handing out tasty treats to all the boys a girls.

Despite the wet weather, more than 100 people turned out to celebrate the 17th annual Centreville Chamber of Commerce tree-lighting ceremony.

Mayor Gary Thomas, master of ceremonies, was decked out in his Santa hat as he welcomed everyone to the annual event. Everyone was encouraged to stay following the ceremony, he said, as special guest from the North Pole was expected to drop by to say hello.

Thomas expressed his pleasure to see so many people out to celebrate the village's official kick of to the festive season, and he called upon Keith Adams, the new minister of the Centreville United Church, to give the blessing for the evening.

Eddie Hughley, Centreville's oldest resident, had the distinct privilege of lighting up the trees.

A thunderous round of applause erupted from the crowd as the lights were turned on, signifying the Christmas season was officially underway in the village.

The Centreville Community School choir took to the outdoor stage to entertain the crowd. The children sang some classic Christmas favourites, and their melodic voices filled the the night air. They were joined in song as many of the audience sang along.

In the distance, a loud siren could be heard. As it drew closer so did the village's special guest. Jolly Old St. Nick took a break from his hectic schedule to to ring in the season.

With the lack of snow, Santa was forced to find alternative transportation, and his friends at Redneck Racing came through once again, providing the ol' elf with a dune buggy.

Excited, the children gathered around Santa as he handed out candy canes to all the good girls and boys. Some of the younger children didn't know what to think of the man in red, while others could wait to say hi.

Santa said he had checked his list before he came and found all the children in Centreville had been good all year.

After the excitement died down and Santa had handed out his holiday treats, Ol' Saint Nick climbed back into his ride and headed home to the North Pole. He promised the children he would return Christmas Eve.

Following Santa's departure, the crowd retired to the Centreville Elk's Club to enjoy some hot cider and tasty cookies, donated by the Centreville Freshmart.