South Congaree, SC (Paul Kirby) 11/30/20 - The Town of South Congaree held its official Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Sunday, November 29th, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. The festivities were held at the town's live tree located at the corner of Ramblin Road and Main Street in the town.
The weather was not cooperating as the time for the ceremony drew near. It had gotten cold and been raining on and off throughout the afternoon. By the time the ceremony began, just a light drizzle was falling. The weather did not deter the crowd that had gathered to enjoy the lighting of the tree. Several portable shelters had been set up to protect the crowd, the speakers, and the refreshment table. There was plenty of room for everyone, and all seemed to be in a festive spirit as the program got underway.
South Congaree Mayor Cindy Campbell, her husband Ronnie, and a few dedicated volunteers had worked for several days to decorate the huge tree. The tree planted in 1993 by a few community minded people, was about five feet tall when moved from a spot a little further down Main Street. It has now grown into a behemoth that is well over 25 feet tall. Clifford Fisher of Owens Fisher Construction loaned the tree decorators a tractor with a lift on it that was necessary to put on all the decorations. According to Ronnie Campbell, the tree has approximately 10,000 beautiful white lights. It also has a row of decorative red bows encircling it from top to bottom.
The ceremony began with Pastor Tom Atten of Dunn's Chapel. He spoke about the true meaning of Christmas followed by prayer. Pastor Gene Henderson of Ebenezer Pentecostal Holiness Church then spoke about the significance of a tree throughout the life of Jesus Christ. He was followed by Pastor Charles Hutchinson of Platt Springs Baptist Church who closed by touching on the importance of unity in the community. He also made the correlation of the light of the tree in comparison to the light of salvation offered when Jesus Christ died on the cross to save the world from sin.
The speakers were followed by a talented quartet from Platt Springs Baptist Church who sang a number of Christmas songs. These ladies sang acapella and were exceptional. They had the crowd clapping and singing along!
At the appointed time the crowd did a short countdown and the tree was lit. It is absolutely beautiful! Most of the children in attendance quickly ran over to the refreshment tent for a treat! There was coffee and hot chocolate provided by the Human Bean and the cookies given by the Food Lion. Even though the weather was still bad, it did not dampen the spirit of those who attended.
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