Tag Archives: festive

Festive cheer and joyful giving kicked off the holiday season at Wrap Up Wyoming event

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Wrap Up Wyoming attendees generously donated warm clothing items for local students (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


Sgt. Shellenbarger decorates a cookie for a fellow law enforcement officer (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Reindeer, live music and cookie decorating were only a few highlights of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department’s second annual holiday event, Wrap Up Wyoming (WUW), that took place Friday, Dec. 6.


Not only did the holiday festivities help bring residents and neighbors together for an evening of fun at the Wyoming Senior Center, WUW also kickstarted a donation drive for local schools.


Attendees generously donated new warm clothing such as hats, gloves, scarves, coats and boots. The collected items will be donated to Wyoming area schools.


The free, family-friendly WUW event featured musical acts from the Wyoming Public Schools Jazz Band, as well as music from local music legend, The Reverend Jesse Ray. Cookie decorating, a hot cocoa station, crafts, games, a free photo station and live reindeer provided fun activities for all ages.


A WUW volunteer helps a young attendee with his craft (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Mayor Kent Vanderwood welcomed guests at the beginning of the event.


“Thank you for coming,” said Mayor Vanderwood. “We appreciate you coming, supporting the school, the band, and of course for the clothing items that you’ve given for the schools to hand out.


“Have a Merry Christmas!”

Donations accepted through December!

If you were unable to attend WUW but would still like to donate, donation bins are available at Wyoming City Hall throughout the month of December.

See WKTV’s Wrap Up Wyoming photo gallery below!

  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Mayor Vanderwood (second from right) talks with event attendees (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Capt. Eric Wiler (center) talks with event attendees (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Coloring pages were available for all ages to enjoy (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • The cookie decorating station was a big hit for both children and adults(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Warm clothing donations were collected and will be distributed to local students (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Sgt. Shellenbarger decorates a cookie for a fellow police officer (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • The Wyoming Jazz Band performed several lively tunes (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • City Manager John Shay (left) talks with Capt. Eric Wiler (center) and another law enforcement officer (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • A local first responder enjoys a WUW game (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Event volunteers take a cookie break (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • City Manager John Shay (left) talks with Councilmember Tommy Brann (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • A photo station offered free festive pictures (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • A first responder explains what he would like printed on his customized ornament (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • Tommy Brann (left) talks with a local police officer (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Kentwood Tree Lighting Ceremony is Fun, Festive and Free!

Holidays, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , , , , , , , ,

Kentwood Christmas Tree Lighting

By Victoria Mullen

A lot of hard work goes into planning and executing a tree lighting ceremony.

We won’t go into specifics now (we will share some fun historical facts later), but do not miss the Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Kentwood Public Library, 4950 Breton Rd. SE, on Wednesday, December 2 from 6-8 pm.

Please take note… this is a new location from years past.

Kentwood imageFree for the whole family, the fun begins at 6 pm with a Candy Cane Hunt. Also beginning at 6 pm are Carriage Rides and Hay Rides, new this year. Enjoy light refreshments from 6-6:45, and then be sure to stick around for the main event at 6:45, the Tree Lighting Ceremony. It will put you in a festive mood, assuming you’re not already there mentally. And if you are, be prepared to get even more amped up, thanks to the music performed by the EKHS Jazz Band.

If you want photos with Santa–he’s a good sport, so be kind–bring your own camera. Even more fun awaits: From 4-8 pm, kids and adults are welcome to buy presents at the Elves Express Gift Shop Santawhere all gifts—suitable for all ages—are just $2 each.

Tree lighting ceremonies often go unappreciated, and that’s a shame. The custom harks back to 18th-century Germany when candles were used to decorate family Christmas trees in upper-class homes. I’ve often wondered how they got the candles to stay put without burning down the house. And then I found out: Those old-timey, creative geniuses glued the candles to a tree branch with melted wax or used pins to attach the candles. Still a hazardous proposition, in my opinion. It wasn’t until around 1890 that candle holders came into use and later, between 1902 and 1914, cute little lanterns and glass balls held the candles in place.

Christmas lights, holiday lights, twinkle lights, midget bulbs, Italian lights, mini lights (and in the UK, fairy lights)–a light by any other name still illuminates. Early electric Christmas lights came on the scene in the 1880s, no doubt preventing countless holiday fires caused by candles.

Kentwood Tree Lighting GraphicThere is a dark side to holiday lights, alas, and it has to do with recycling. Amazingly, more than 20 million pounds of discarded holiday lights are shipped to the Christmas light recycling capital of the world, aka Shijiao, China. This unfortunate custom began around 1990 because of–you guessed it–cheap labor and dismal environmental standards. Details here.

We certainly don’t intend this as a downer, but it’s important to not take our holiday light consumption, er, lightly. Suffice it to say that safer techniques are now used to separate out the elements, and everything is recycled: Glass, copper, plastic and brass. Plus, each year, new-fangled, energy-efficient and even longer-lasting lights come on the scene. Perhaps there will come a day when very few need to be recycled.

It’s a pleasant thought, right?