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Photos: Tree-lighting event at Tom Davies Square

‘Merry and Bright’ artificial tree will now be lit until early January

Newly elected Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre had the honour of flipping the switch on the “Merry and Bright” tree at Tom Davies Square Dec. 2.

A short Christmas tree-lighting ceremony was held outside of the city hall building Friday evening, which featured free refreshments, swag and entertainment.

Entertainment included the N’Swakamok Native Friendship Centre drummers, as well as Natalie Lalonde, Joel Giroux and Stef Paquette (accompanied by puppets) performing the local Christmas song “Little Skidoo.”

The trio will actually be on stage next week, performing a Christmas play based on the “Little Skidoo” song by Bert Collins. Written by Judi Straughan, the play is in support of community radio station CKLU.

The “Merry and Bright Tree” at Tom Davies Square is an eight-metre (26 feet) artificial spruce, which is 3.6 metres (12 feet) in diameter and decorated with 1,325 high-efficiency warm white LED bulbs, “which accomplish 80-per-cent energy savings compared to traditional incandescent bulbs,” the city said.

It will now be lit until the week after Orthodox Christmas in early January.

The event was not only attended by Mayor Lefebvre, but by most of the newly elected (or re-elected, in some cases) city councillors. We also spotted Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe at the event.

“Thank you for being here tonight,” said Lefebvre, speaking to the crowd before flipping the switch on the tree.  

“This is my first tree lighting as mayor, and it's great to see everyone in the festive spirit. It brings me great joy that we are able to celebrate this moment in person.” 

Lefebvre took a minute to thank the people working in many industries who will continue to serve the community throughout the holiday season, such as those working in transportation, emergency services, at hospitals, in the military, or other front-line workers.

“I want to thank them for their dedication and their service,” he said.

He also asked people to think about their neighbours during the holiday season. “If you see someone struggling, lend them a hand,” Lefebvre said. “Let's be kind to one another, because we all deserve to feel the magic of the holidays.”

Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s associate content editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.


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