The fifth annual Limpricht Park Tree Lighting, presented by the Crucian Cultural Group, will take place on Friday from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at Limpricht Park on King Street in Christiansted.
The program will livestream on WTJX, PBS Channel 12, Government Access Channel 27, as well as on the CCG Facebook page. The hosts will be James Weber and Sandra Gerard Leung.
“CCG has 13 volunteers that have put together these holiday programs and activities for the community for the last five years. We enjoy what we do for our community to maintain, preserve and showcase our unique culture, heritage and tradition, and encourage everyone to come out and experience the same,” CCG Chairperson Vivian I. Ebbesen-Fludd said.
“The program is opened to the public this year. It begins at 7 p.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m. with a grand Quadrille Dance in the streets. Tree sponsors began the decorating process on Sunday, Nov. 26, and will continue until Thursday for the test run to be ready for the lighting of the park on Friday. The park has been opened from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily so that this year’s tree sponsors can go in at their leisure to work on their majestic trees,” Wanda Violet, CCG’s event lead, said.
There will be two new additions this year. First, smaller shrubs, brush and hedges have been given names derived from the Ten Sleepless Knights’ 12 Days of Christmas Song or anything local or cultural for additional tree sponsors to decorate.
The second new addition, Vialet said, is, “The last four years, the Gentlemen of Jones (GOJ) would go on the hillsides and chop down a branch of an inkberry tree and bring it to the park for us to decorate with ornaments for students in various schools.
“In CCG’s quest to maintain cultural and traditional heritage, we’ve asked GOJ not to cut any more trees but to kindly harvest one and replant it in Limpricht Park as a gift to the people of St. Croix that we may always know the history and the tradition of the Crucian Inkberry tree,” she continued.
A variety of entertainment throughout the evening will include:
Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights
Children of TSK Quadrille Group
Gentlemen of Jones Choir
CHS Carib Divas — Dance Selection
Preserving the Art of Masquerade Dancing, Crucian Culture & Traditions
Ay Ay Masqueraders & TSK
Sasha Evans – Musical Selection
Music in Motion School of Higher Dance Education – Dance Presentation
St. Patrick’s School Steel Pan Ensemble
When the tree and park are lit, lights, sparkle and music will fill Limpricht Park and Christiansted with the warmth of the Christmas spirit.
Join in the celebration of Christmas and community spirit either in person or via livestream.
WTJX can be accessed at https://www.wtjx.org/ or
https://www.facebook.com/wtjx.
Crucian Cultural Group will have coverage at
https://www.facebook.com/CrucianCulturalGroup.
Live TV Coverage Government Access Channel – Viya Channel 27
The Government Access Channel at https://www.facebook.com/GAC27VI.
