Fayetteville‘s 26th Annual Tree Lighting was cold but spectacular

Hundreds braved brisk temperatures to attend the Fayetteville Christmas Tree lighting ceremony Dec. 5 at Heritage Park in downtown Fayetteville. The 26th annual ceremony had been rained out Dec. 1 due to the weather, but was rescheduled. Above and below are photos by Ben Nelms at the event, which also was broadcast live on the Facebook pages of The Citizen, Fayette Woman, the City of Fayetteville and MainStreet Fayetteville. Those videos are still viewable on Facebook. Santa Claus heard from dozens of youngsters whose line snaked around the Lane Brown Gazebo. The tree lighting ceremony included live sounds of the season, including a rendition of “O Holy Night” by local artist Kim Stanley. One large petitioner on Santa’s knee (above) was Fayetteville City Councilman Harlan Shirley.