She’d been rehearsing carols since the weeks leading up to Halloween, but singing them Friday evening really put Mary Havel in the Christmas spirit.
The red antlers she wore may have helped.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” said Mary, 12, a sixth grader at Alki Middle School who was part of a Vancouver Public Schools choir.
Hearing the choir of middle and high school students sing the Christmas classics helped the crowd of more than 2,500 people get into the holiday spirit at the community tree lighting in Propstra Square.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt welcomed the crowd.
“We have a lot to be thankful in this community,” said Leavitt. He mentioned Esther Short Park, the oldest public square in the Pacific Northwest, which in October was honored as one of 10 Great Public Spaces 2013 by the American Planning Association.
Leavitt said the park’s Propstra Square wouldn’t have been possible without the late Burgerville founder George Propstra and his wife, Carolyn, who made a $3.2 million donation for the square and bell tower.
While Carolyn Propstra was unable to attend Friday’s tree lighting, Leavitt did welcome Santa Claus, who arrived a few minutes late — “He must be stuck in traffic,” Leavitt quipped — and took another five minutes to make his way to the stage once he arrived on a Loci locomotive.
“Let’s give it up for Santa in downtown Vancouver,” Leavitt cried. The crowd helped Leavitt count down from 10, and cheered when thousands of colored LED lights blinked on.
One strand near the top of the 90-foot-tall Douglas fir didn’t work.
“Hey, that’s what always happens at my house,” joked Scott Campbell, community affairs manager for Waste Connections.
“It’s still a beautiful tree,” Campbell added.
Waste Connections helped sponsor the tree lighting as part of the 18th annual Vancouver Rotary Foundation Festival of Trees. Other sponsors included Riverview Community Bank and Clark Public Utilities.
Friday’s dry weather brought out what appeared to be a larger crowd than last year, when it was raining.
“Rain or shine, this is always a super event,” Campbell said. “The difference this year is that there’s no umbrellas.”
