TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TREE LIGHTING

Just two weeks until the annual Chamber of Commerce Tree Lighting on the Common. Hosted by Dr. Eugene Mickey & Associates, the event will be held on Sunday, November 25 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.

Activities will include ice sculpting, visits with Santa, pony rides, craft making, cocoa & cookies, hot food sampling, holiday music and caroling by the Stoneham Girl Scouts.  The event will culminate with the official tree lighting by Dr. Mickey and his associates at 5 PM. “This year we will be adding a Memory Tree to this special event”, notes Committee Chair Elisa Scher (Hallmark Health System). Throughout the season, people can remember their loved ones through special notes placed on the holiday tree.”  

The Girl Scouts of Stoneham will invite the audience to sing a couple of selections from the holiday songbook. The new songbooks are in part sponsored by the Chamber’s “Bright Lights” sponsors Anderson Bryant Funeral Home, Cubby Oil, Life Care of Stoneham, To Make Beautiful, and Stone Zoo’s “Zoolights”. Piano accompaniment is generously provided by member Allegro School of Music.

The Tree Lighting is corporate sponsored by Hallmark Health System and business sponsored by RE/MAX Andrew Realty Services. Friends of the Tree Lighting are Diane Bonanni, DMD and Doucet Remodeling & Design.

This year the Chamber of Commerce is helping to support two toy drives. Stoneham Firefighters Mike Labriola and Dan Kelleher at (781) 438-5296 are heading the Stoneham Toys for Local Children toy drive. The First Congregational Church at (781) 438-0097 is spearheading Stoneham’s Salvation Army Toy Drive. Both collections direct donated toys to Stoneham families in need, and then to surrounding communities. New, unwrapped toys for toddler- through teen-aged children will be collected on the common during the Tree Lighting. Both organizations thank attendees for their generosity at this time of year.

Also, Stoneham Educational Foundation (sbcef.org) will have a Trolley Ride with Frosty from the Town Hall to the Stoneham Zoo for those families who wish to see the ZooLights light show at the Zoo. The rides will cost $5 for adults and $3 for Children (infants are free) and will start their round trips at approximately 4:45PM with the last pickup at the Zoo at 8PM.