A crew from St. Mary’s Services braved the cold, wet weather Monday to bring a little holiday cheer to downtown Vancouver.
The workers spent hours stringing more than 11,000 LED lights on a tree towering over Esther Short Park in preparation for the annual community tree lighting. The crew members were hoisted to the tree’s top on a mechanical lift beginning before dawn and continued working into the afternoon.
The annual tree lighting event begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Esther Short Park. Santa and his elves will arrive at 6 p.m. Starbucks will be in the park offering hot drinks during the event. Following the tree lighting, Vancouver Pops will perform at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.
Last year’s tree lighting attracted about 2,000 people. The community tree will be aglow throughout the holidays.