Lighting of the Green kicks-off holiday season at Lipscomb for the 19th year
Kim Chaudoin |
There was a chill in the air as a record crowd of more than 4,000 gathered in the Allen Arena circle on Tuesday, Nov. 28, to celebrate the start of the holiday season at Lipscomb University with the 19th annual Lighting of the Green.
For nearly two decades, Nashville entertainer Amy Grant has hosted the event and invited some of her musical friends to join in the festivities. This year, Drew and Ellie Holcomb and Corrina Gill shared their musical talents to ring in the holiday season. Also for the last 19 years, students from Lipscomb Academy and Lipscomb University choruses and ensembles, including Sanctuary and the Gospel Choir, have shared their musical talents as a favorite part of the program.
During the free concert that has become a beloved tradition for the Nashville community, Logan Bennett, a junior commercial music major from Euharlee, Georgia, was announced as the 2023 Amy Grant Scholarship recipient. Anonymous donors provided this scholarship to honor Grant and to support one student chosen each year for their ability to make a difference in the world. Bennett was a member of the 2023 Quest team and a 2023 Singarama host. He has performed in multiple commercial ensembles as well as on his own as a solo artist.
The evening started with Christmas shopping at the Merry Marketplace, a collection of holiday vendors who donate a portion of their proceeds to benefit Associated Women for Lipscomb student scholarships, and the ever-popular free photos with Santa.
The lighting of the Christmas tree in the green in front of Burton Health Sciences Center ended the evening. This year’s tree lighters were representatives of all of the Bison athletic programs that have all gone to the NCAA postseason since last year’s Lighting of the Green. This includes women’s golf, baseball, men’s cross country, men’s soccer and women’s cross country — which made university history by finishing 11th in the nation at the NCAA championships in early November. Tree lighters included: women's golf - Shannon O'Brien, 2023 ASUN Coach of the Year, and Lauren Thompson, 2023 ASUN Individual Champion; women's cross country - Nick Polk, 2023 ASUN Coach of the Year, ASUN Champion Kiara Carte, and All-American Lydia Miller; baseball - Alex Vergara, MVP of the ASUN tournament; and men's soccer - Charles Morrow, 2023 ASUN Coach of the Year, and Malachi Jones.
This year’s sponsors were FirstBank, American Constructors, One Digital, Solomon Builders, One Community presented by the Tennessee Titans Foundation, CO Christian & Sons, Herring Technology, Collier Engineering Company, Cigna Healthcare, TIAA, Shepherd Financial, Rose Hill Flowers, Curated Events and Sodexo.
— Photos by Kristi Jones