3rd annual Lighting of the Green draws huge crowd to kick off holiday season

Janel Shoun | 

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Thousands of families joined in the festivities Tuesday to kick off the holiday season at Lipscomb University’s Lighting of the Green event.

Hundreds stopped by for a free photo with Santa Claus; Amy Grant, Buddy Greene and Pat Flynn headlined a show full of traditional favorites, blues riffs, country tunes and Christmas cheer; and the night was capped off by the lighting of a 35-foot Norway spruce from Ohio.

This year’s Lighting of the Green was held in the Allen Arena Mall (due to ongoing construction on the A. M. Burton Building) with the performance taking place in front of the Allen Bell Tower. Multi-colored images of snowflakes, silver bells and festive packages lit up the bell tower and Grant, her fellow performers, and hundreds of Lipscomb students from the elementary campus, the high school campus and the university sang a selection of Christmas carols.
“Silver Bells,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Breath of Heaven,” and “Tennessee Christmas,” were among the selections for the evening.

Lelan Statom, WTVF meteorologist, brought along some great weather – a chilly nip on the air with no threat of rain – and his signature style as master of ceremonies.

The festivities also included a collection of peanut butter for the Second Harvest Food Bank, (to complement Grant’s “Christmas Jam”) and Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry presented a check worth 1,000 jars

of peanut butter to the Nashville charity organization. First Lady of Lipscomb Rhonda Lowry encouraged the crowd to be mindful that there is nothing in our lives that has not been given to us as a gift, and the entire crowd sang “Silent Night,” to complete the holiday evening.

This is the third year Lipscomb University has presented the Lighting of the Green, the university’s free Christmas gift to the community.

Sponsors of the Lighting of the Green are Advent Promotional Displays & Event Marketing, D. F. Chase Inc., Constant Craving Caterers Inc., C.O. Christian and Sons Company, Lee Company, NewsChannel 5, Southern Events, Blakeford at Green Hills, Way-FM, National Healthcare Corporation, Sites and Harbison, Tuck-Hinton Architects, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc., Chick-Fil-A, Fire Sprinkler LLC, Lattimore, Black, Morgan & Cain and Allegiance Staffing.