By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The annual lighting of the Christmas tree on the Green will herald an evening of merrymaking Saturday.
On a nearby stage on Main Street, the festivities will kick off at 4 p.m. with a rendition of the national anthem by West Haven High School sophomore Nora E. Mullins, followed by holiday carols sung by the St. Lawrence School chorus.
The ceremony will continue with performances by the West Haven High dance team and the Top Hat Dance Academy and Yuletide classics sung by the Church of the Holy Spirit choir and the Bailey Middle School chorus.
At 6 p.m., Mayor Nancy R. Rossi will greet revelers. The West Haven High School and Seahawks cheerleading teams, dressed as elves, will then escort Santa and Mrs. Claus to the stage, where they will join Rossi and her special guests — city schoolchildren who have achieved various academic honors — to set the tree aglow.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive in a 1916 Ford pump firetruck from the West Haven Fire Department.
The city’s official Christmas tree is encircled by five smaller evergreen trees adorned with fluorescent-colored lights.
Before returning to the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet visitors and pose for snapshots in their workshop until 8:30 p.m.
Organizers will offer the photos with Santa as a free digital download online. Starting Tuesday, people can view and download their photos on the city’s Flickr page at https://goo.gl/EkLxZz. The internet address is case-sensitive.
Just steps from Santa’s workshop, boys and girls can drop off their wish lists at St. Nick’s official U.S. Postal Service mailbox.
The event is sponsored by Baybrook Remodelers Inc., Anthony Cordone, First Congregational Church of West Haven, Komar Construction Co., the McCarthy family, New Life Church, The Rock House School of Music, RVP Studios, Studio G Music Instruction, USAlliance Federal Credit Union, West Haven Chamber of Commerce and West Haven United.
Huge electric snowflakes will decorate The John C. Ireland Bandstand, and Victorian-era streetlamps bedecked with angels blowing on trumpets will illuminate the walkways.
Along with hayrides, children can ride on a vintage firetruck from the West Shore Fire Department. Youngsters can also enjoy a variety of craft stations on the Green, where they can make ornaments, write letters to Santa, and make cards for U.S. troops overseas and those at the Veterans Affairs Hospital on Campbell Avenue.
The activities are free, but people are asked to bring nonperishable items for the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force, which provides food for residents in need.
West Haven United, an organization aimed at bringing the city’s volunteer groups together, will announce the winners of its ornament-making and merchant window-decorating contests.
Volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce will hand out hot chocolate, and vendors will sell food and novelties.
The vendors will include the Cappetta’s Italian Imports & Pizza truck, Casa Bianca Pizza, Riley’s Mobile Kitchen and Sweet Cupcasions.
Also, volunteers from West Haven United will sell hot apple cider and snacks.
After the lighting, the sounds of the holiday season will fill the air with live music on the bandstand from Rock House, RVP Studios and Studio G.
If it rains, the lighting will go on at 5 p.m. Monday.