Lighting of the Green to be held inside Allen Arena Tuesday night
Janel Shoun-Smith |
UPDATE: Lighting of the Green 2014 to be held inside Allen Arena Tuesday night, Dec. 2
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014
Festivities begin at 4 p.m.
Concert begins at 5:30 p.m.
* * * *
Celebrating 10 years of Lighting of the Green
Details of 2014 event
Memories of 2013 event
Memories of 2012 event
Photos of past events
Lipscomb University, Amy Grant kick-off holiday season with 10th annual Lighting of the Green Dec. 2 on the university campus
For a decade the Lipscomb University community has celebrated the start of the holiday season with beloved Nashville entertainer Amy Grant and an all-star line-up of artists and friends at the annual Lighting of the Green concert. This year’s tenth anniversary edition is set for Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Lipscomb University.
Joining Grant in this year’s slate of artists are:
- Danny Gokey, Christian musician who was the third place finalist on the eighth season of “American Idol;”
- Tamela Mann, actress and gospel singer known for her role as Cora in Tyler Perry’s plays;
- Jon Guerra, singer/songwriter based in Chicago who is part of the Vertical Church Band;
- The Willis Clan, a family of musicians, dancers, athletes, writers and artists who merge their Irish roots with other music and dance genres to create a unique blend of the old and new; and
- Brother Parker among others.
Festivities begin at 4 p.m. and the FREE holiday concert begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Allen Arena Mall on the Lipscomb campus. Free photos with Santa are available. Food is also available for purchase at the Bennett Campus Center’s Bison Café, Chick-Fil-A, Papa John’s Pizza, Blue Coast Burrito, Zebi’s and Starbucks.
Each year thousands of people turn out to see Grant host the free outdoor holiday concert featuring the Lipscomb student choruses along with Grant’s musical friends. Through the past decade, the holiday concert has featured a number of popular entertainers including Brenda Lee, Lennon & Maisy from the hit ABC show “Nashville,” Nicole C. Mullen, Mandisa, Melinda Doolittle, Point of Grace, the Fisk Jubliee Singers, Buddy Greene, Ruth McGinnis and the Annie Moses Band.
“Lighting of the Green has become a beloved tradition in Nashville, and we couldn’t have made that happen without the support and generosity of Amy Grant, who gives of her time and talent to perform and to schedule an exciting slate of artists each year,” said Walt Leaver, vice president for university relations.
Merry Marketplace, a collection of holiday vendors who donate a portion of their proceeds to benefit scholarships to Lipscomb, is also a traditional feature of Lighting of the Green festivities. The Marketplace will take place in the Allen Arena lobby and concourse beginning at 4 p.m.
The evening will conclude with the lighting of a Christmas tree in the Allen Arena Mall.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a gift of canned food or cash for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Guests are also encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the concert. Handicapped parking will be available in the Allen Arena parking garage. The event will be held rain or shine.
Sponsors for this year’s event include C.O. Christian, Arthur J. Gallagher & Company, American Paper & Twine, American Policy Roundtable, Ronald Blue & Co., Nashville Arts & Entertainment Magazine, Liberty Party Rental and Rebel Hill Florist.
Memories of Lighting of the Green 2013
Lipscomb University kicked-off the holiday season Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, with the award-winning Amy Grant as hostess and a special line-up of surprise guest artists including Nicole C. Mullen, Lennon and Maisy from the hit show "Nashville," and Brenda Lee, at the ninth annual Lighting of the Green concert.
Festivities on the Allen Arena Mall featured free photos with Santa and food was available for purchase at the Bennett Campus Center’s food court. For the second year in a row, Lighting of the Green was the launch event for the Lipscomb online Christmas auction featuring exciting and unique items, to benefit Lipscomb scholarships.
The Merry Marketplace, a collection of holiday vendors providing a portion of their profits to benefit scholarships at Lipscomb, took place in the Allen Arena lobby and concourse and Department of Theatre students served cookies and hot chocolate from "Colonial Williamsburg." The evening concluded with the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in the Allen Arena Mall.
Memories of Lighting of the Green 2012
More than 3,500 people packed the Allen Arena Mall on Nov. 27, 2012, at Lipscomb’s Lighting of the Green.
Nashville’s own Amy Grant hosted the free outdoor holiday concert. The 2012 performance also featured contemporary Christian artist Ashley Cleveland; Mandisa, of American Idol fame; The Martins, Christian music vocal trio; L’Angelus, a Cajun inspired band; Scat Springs, founder of the Scat Band and classic rhythm and blues singer; Michelle Swift, contemporary Christian singer; Opus Row; the Lipscomb Academy fourth, fifth grade and high school concert choruses and Lipscomb University's choruses.
"Beyond the music we have enjoyed, I hope you will take with you the image of a university that still believes in the narrative of God,” President L. Randolph Lowry told the crowd. He added that other universities have left their faith traditions behind, but "our university still celebrates its faith. We want our image to be of a university that shares with the world the servanthood of Christ."
The evening concluded with the lighting of the 30-foot tall Christmas tree by Mary Hance, known to Nashvillians as the beloved “Ms. Cheap” of the Tennessean. Hance’s column features free and inexpensive events and bargains in the Nashville area. She also leads the annual Ms. Cheap Penny Drive for Second Harvest.
"Is this a great free event or what,” Hance excitedly asked the crowd. She expressed her appreciation for those who participated in her penny drive and said that Second Harvest can provide four meals for every dollar donated.
Guests also enjoyed free pictures with Santa and shopping at Merry Marketplace, a collection of holiday vendors with a portion of the purchases benefiting scholarships to Lipscomb.