Arrival of Christmas tree marks countdown to Lighting of the Green on Nov. 27
Chris Pepple |
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The tree arrived on campus Friday morning after being dug fresh Thursday in Magnolia, Ohio. Associates from Davey Tree, a large tree moving company based in Wooster, Ohio, drove through the night to deliver the tree to campus in excellent condition.
Don Johnson, director of facilities, watched as Lipscomb employees completed the four-foot hole necessary to plant the tree. Once the tree was upright and securely planted, the decorating process began. It will eventually be adorned with close to 10,000 red, blue and arctic white lights with a star on top.
The tree is the centerpiece for Lipscomb’s annual Lighting of the Green, Nov. 27, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the university’s Allen Bell Tower. Lighting of the Green is the university’s Christmas present to the community, featuring a "Christmas Jam" concert by Amy Grant, Pat Flynn and Buddy Greene. The event is free and everyone is invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy food from Chick-Fil-A and Blue Coast Burrito, free photos with Santa Claus and the lighting of Lipscomb’s Christmas tree. The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The community is also asked to bring a jar of peanut butter to the “Christmas Jam” to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Lelan Statom, WTVF meteorologist, will serve as master of ceremonies, and Grant and friends will be performing with the David Lipscomb Campus School chorus and Lipscomb University choral ensembles, incorporating hundreds of voices from elementary school- through college-age.
In addition to the Grammy-winning Grant, Lighting of the Green’s “Christmas Jam” will feature Pat Flynn, the former guitarist and singer for progressive bluegrass group New Grass Revival in the 1980s. Flynn performed with Bela Fleck in the band that helped pave the way for today’s brand of bluegrass artist such as Allison Krauss and Nickel Creek.
Buddy Greene, also a guitar pickin’ singer/songwriter, is known as one of Nashville’s best harmonica musicians. He co-wrote the contemporary Christmas standard “Mary Did You Know?” and has most recently brought an acoustic guitar and folk, string band approach to many traditional hymns on his CD “Hymns and Prayer Songs.”
Due to the continuing construction of the A.M. Burton Building, the Lighting of the Green will not be held on The Quad as it has for the past two years. This year it will be held surrounding the bell tower outside of Allen Arena. Handicapped parking will be available in the Allen Arena parking garage. In case of inclement weather, the celebration will be held in Allen Arena.