An Island Christmas
Tag: Christmas tree lighting
Christmas tree lights up Bridge Street
BRADENTON BEACH – Just two months after Hurricane Helene’s storm surge pushed piles of sand and debris into the city, a concerted clean-up effort enabled the festive spirit to return to Bridge Street.
At the city-hosted Christmas tree lighting at the post office on Nov. 21, Mayor John Chappie welcomed the crowd to the town’s main street.
“It’s been 56 days since this storm hit and it’s been tough,” Chappie said. “We are going to step up and do what needs to be done to get our city back up and better. We are survivors and we are going to survive.”
Leslie Lake | Sun
Chappie applauded Police Chief and Public Works Director John Cosby as the driving force behind the massive cleanup and the restoration of activity in the city.
“Chief Cosby and his team have been amazing with the recovery that’s happened out here,” Chappie said. “He is an expert in his field of emergency operations and he has helped to develop this team of our city, our public works, our city clerk, our building department, the SERT team that came down to help our community to beat this. We have and we will continue to beat this.”
He introduced Cosby, who was chosen to light the Christmas tree.
“This is the first normal thing we have done since the hurricane,” Cosby said. “And if you look around, we all made the decision to do this five days ago – all the lights and the tree. We weren’t going to do it, then we decided we needed to do it.”
Cosby said following Hurricane Helene, there was 4 feet of sand on just about every road in the city.
“Even when the governor (Gov. Ron DeSantis) came, he looked at me and said, ‘I’ve been to a lot of disasters and I’ve never seen this much sand,’ ” he said.
Cosby thanked FDOT for the help with sand removal, Bradenton Beach city staff and City Attorney Ricinda Perry for organizing the tree lighting.
As Cosby pushed the button to illuminate the tree, cheers sprang up from hundreds of attendees.
The next event, Christmas on Bridge Street, will be held on Dec. 7 beginning at 2 p.m. with a Table of Hope banner signing. In a display of city resilience, the signed banner will be hung across Bridge Street.
New Christmas tree de-lightful
HOLMES BEACH – Hundreds of people flocked to the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s parking lot for the annual tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 1. In previous years, the tree has been a tree-shaped strand of lights that was erected in the chamber parking lot, but this year there were big changes.
When The Sun spoke to chamber President Terri Kinder at last year’s ceremony, she said it was the chamber’s goal to get an actual tree for 2023 and they accomplished exactly that. The only caveat for this year was the tree needed to be anchored to the ground, so it couldn’t be in the chamber parking lot.
“Big changes this year; we’re very excited about this,” Kinder said. “An anonymous donor donated that beautiful tree to the City of Holmes Beach. It’s 24 feet tall and needs to be staked, so we decided Hancock Whitney Bank across the street was the best place for it to be. Holmes Beach did a fantastic job putting this tree up and putting it together, and Hancock Whitney Bank has an amazing partnership with the city and the chamber. We’re just so excited.”
Kinder told The Sun in 2022 that they would have to do a significant amount of fundraising to upgrade the previous tree, but thanks to the anonymous donation, the chamber didn’t have to spend any money. City staff erected the artificial tree and Hancock Whitney Bank is providing the electricity to illuminate it. According to Kinder, this was the largest attendance for a tree lighting thus far, with hundreds of people attending, enjoying food and drinks, and mingling with friends and newly met friends from the Island community.
“It just keeps getting bigger every year,” Kinder said moments before the tree was lit. “I’m excited to see everybody’s reception because I think they’re going to be thrilled with this new tree.”
In addition to the tree, the Anna Maria Island Privateers were on hand with their sleigh and a special visit from Santa Claus, who met with children of all ages wishing to get their Christmas lists in his ear before the big day. Leading up to the lighting of the tree, CrossPointe Fellowship entertained the crowd with live music, singing holiday favorites with the backing of a full band. It may not have been cold, or even cool, but the Island showed its Christmas spirit, snow or not.
Chamber tree lighting a holiday highlight
HOLMES BEACH – The weather was perfect on Friday evening, and people seized the opportunity to gather at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce to light the Christmas tree, mingle with friends, sing carols and remind Santa they had not been the least bit naughty this year.
Revelers enjoyed snacks and drinks while CrossPointe Fellowship sang holiday favorites and children from age 2 to 102 sang along and danced. It wasn’t just the Chamber that was in the holiday spirit, nearby stores stayed open late so shoppers could take their time.
“We had to do a scaled-down version of this last year due to the pandemic, and the year before that it drizzled on us, but tonight is absolutely perfect,” said AMI Chamber President Terri Kinder. “It gets bigger every year; it’s a huge community event.”
Christmas has come to Bridge Street
BRADENTON BEACH – Take a walk down Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach and you’ll find it difficult not to be in the holiday spirit.
On Saturday, Nov. 20, the city lit the most Christmas lights ever seen on the Island. Street lights, palm trees, business fronts and even the famous clock tower are draped in lights and garland. The centerpiece of this amazing display is a 40-foot tree adorned with thousands of lights and more than 600 hand-placed ornaments.
The tree lighting ceremony was an all-day event that began with the early afternoon arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus, who arrived by golf cart.
“The reindeer wanted to be here, but it just hasn’t cooled off quite enough for their liking, so we let them stay at the North Pole. They always look forward to coming to Anna Maria Island on Christmas Eve because I treat them with grouper bites before we head over to Miami,” said Santa.
As the sun set on a beautiful Island afternoon, a crowd of a few hundred people gathered while the Magic of Manatee Sweet Adelines sang traditional carols in front of the tree. At 6 p.m., the crowd chanted a 10-second countdown for Mayor John Chappie, who lit the tree alongside City Attorney Ricinda Perry and Commissioner Ralph Cole. The evening’s festivities continued with an outdoor showing of “A Christmas Story” on an inflatable movie screen next to the tree.
“This is the culmination of 30 years of hard work in the commercial area of Bradenton Beach. Trimmers Holiday Decor, the company that put up all the lights and decorations, did an amazing job, always here on the spot working to get this done, they’re amazing,” said Mayor Chappie.
This huge holiday undertaking came at a cost of more than $40,000 and was made possible by the Community Redevelopment Agency, the City of Bradenton Beach, and local merchants. The lights come on at sunset and will be in place through the end of December.
Island Chamber starts the holiday season
HOLMES BEACH – It’s beginning to look a lot more like Christmas, with the holiday decorations up and the Christmas tree of lights shimmering at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.
Despite a rainy night, dozens of people gathered in front of the Chamber in Holmes Beach on Dec. 4 to take part in the annual tree lighting, which featured music and a visit from Santa Claus courtesy of his pirate elves, the Anna Maria Island Privateers. Hot apple cider and individually-wrapped sweet treats were provided by the members of CrossPointe Fellowship Church. The tree, sponsored by Anthony’s Cooling, Heating and Electrical, lit up the night sky right on time at 6 p.m., drawing cheers from the masked crowd in attendance.
In addition to the festivities at the Chamber, local businesses also were welcoming visitors with treats of their own.
At Sun and Surf Beach Shop, visitors were greeted by the shop’s birds and a table full of individually-wrapped treats. A little further down at the Artists’ Guild Gallery, shoppers were invited to shop right from the gallery’s Christmas trees, choosing from a selection of handmade ornaments. At RE/MAX, the ladies of the realty company greeted passersby with sweet treats. Both Irene’s clothing boutique and The Original Sand Dollar were open for business, with children able to make their own Christmas ornaments at the Sand Dollar while parents were serenaded by violinist Danae Tran.
And while this year’s festivities were somewhat more subdued than in years past, it didn’t stop anyone in attendance from enjoying a festive start to the holiday season.
Delighted by the lights, a little child enjoys playing in the Christmas tree. - Kristin Swain | Sun
A game of chase breaks out in the Chamber parking lot before the Dec. 4 tree lighting. - Kristin Swain | Sun
While kids couldn’t climb in the sleigh with Santa this year, they were able to tell him what they wanted and take a socially distanced photo with the big guy. - Kristin Swain | Sun
In lieu of elves, Santa brought along some of his favorite pirates from the Anna Maria Island Privateers. - Kristin Swain | Sun
The ladies of RE/MAX greet passersby with a smile and a selection of sweet treats. - Kristin Swain
Children wanting to add a little sparkle to their family’s tree were invited to make their own ornaments using seashells at The Sand Dollar. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Violinist Danae Tran enchants visitors to The Sand Dollar with a selection of holiday tunes. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Santa greets a bashful little Santa in training. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Volunteers from the Chamber and CrossPointe Fellowship Church hand out cups of hot apple cider and individually-wrapped treats to attendees at the tree lighting ceremony. - Kristin Swain | Sun
Christmas tree lighting and outdoor movie too
BRADENTON BEACH – On Saturday, Nov. 25, the Bridge Street Merchants will host its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The holiday celebration will take place on Bridge Street, in the vacant lot between Fish Hole Adventure Golf and the Island Time Inn.
Santa Claus is scheduled to arrive at 4:30 p.m. The Magic of Manatee A Cappella Sweet Adeline Chorus will be there as well, singing beautiful renditions of beloved Christmas carols. The tree will be lit when darkness falls at or around 6 p.m. The tree lighting will be followed by an outdoor screening of the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story.”
This free family event will also feature hot chocolate and popcorn. Those planning to stay for the movie are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Local musician and music promoter Steve Arvey is assisting the merchants association in organizing this year’s ceremony.
The Bridge Street Merchants will host its annual Christmas on Bridge Street celebration on Saturday, Dec. 16.