Amy Grant, Lelan Statom appear at Lighting of the Green Nov. 28
Janel Shoun |
After great success with last year’s first Lighting of the Green ceremony, Lipscomb University plans to kick off the Christmas season once again this year by hosting the holiday party for the community on Nov. 28.
The event is free and everyone is invited to bring a lawn chair and enjoy refreshments, music and photos with Santa Claus. Activities begin at 4:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 5:30 p.m. The Burton Building lawn is located on the Belmont Boulevard side of the campus, 3901 Granny White Pike, Nashville.
The community is also asked to bring canned goods to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank, to help provide food for needy families this winter. Chick-Fil-A sandwiches will be available for purchase beginning at 4:30 p.m. and a chance to get your picture taken with Santa will begin at 5 p.m.
“I was really impressed with how it was all put together last year because it brought together the university’s Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Association, who dressed up as Victorian Christmas carolers to serve refreshments,” said Holly Lane, a Lipscomb junior from Cookeville and secretary of the Student Government Association. “It stuck out to me as an excellent opportunity for Lipscomb to showcase our campus to the community.”
She was also impressed with Lipscomb’s choral ensembles, who were able to perform with Nashville singing legend Grant. “It was a point of pride for Lipscomb,” Lane said of the concert. The Lipscomb choruses and the university’s jazz ensembles will once again be performing with Grant this year.
With a new president having just arrived on campus last November, university officials saw the Lighting of the Green as an opportunity to establish a new tradition for not only the Lipscomb family, but also the broader community as well, said Amy Hamer, Lipscomb’s alumni relations manager and coordinator of the event. Last year’s Lighting of the Green attracted families who wanted photos with Santa, neighbors who had spied the 40-foot Christmas tree from the road and alumni excited about changes on campus, she said.
“Hopefully it will continue to grow and engage more of the on-campus and off-campus communities,” said Hamer. “Because it is such a big event, it allows us to reach out to the community and embrace them.”
Parking is available in the Allen Arena parking garage as well as the parking lots off of Belmont Boulevard. Handicapped parking is available in front of Beaman Library, off of Belmont Boulevard. In case of inclement weather, the celebration will be held in Allen Arena.
Sponsors of Lipscomb’s Lighting of the Green are Advent Displays & Designs, D. F. Chase Inc., Constant Craving Caterers Inc., Kimbro Mechanical LLC, NewsChannel 5, J.E. Crain & Son Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc., Blakeford at Green Hills, Chick-Fil-A at Brentwood, Liberty Party Rental, C.O. Christian and Sons Company, Stites and Harbison and Bayou Buggies.