WELCOME FORTY FOOT BLUE SPRUCE TO CHRISTMAS ON BROADWAY
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the “Christmas on Broadway” tree lighting, a fireworks display will be added to the event, to be lit contemporaneously with the lighting of the 40-foot spruce tree that has been selected for this year’s event. The tree will be decorated with over 20,000 lights and will be illuminated at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2014, and will be telecast live on WANE-TV, News Channel 15.
This year’s fireworks display is made possible by the addition of Frontier Communications as one of the four corporate sponsors of the annual event, which also includes Lake City Bank, St. Joseph’s Hospital (Lutheran Health Network) and Horizon Christian Academy. Greg Stephens, Senior Vice President of Frontier Communications (Indiana), stated that Frontier has become a sponsor of this holiday tradition because it demonstrates the importance that Frontier places on strengthening our neighborhoods. “This is truly an event that brings the celebration of the holidays directly to the heart of our city’s neighborhoods. There are no less than seven neighborhoods, several of them having been designated as historical, that border the Broadway Corridor. Frontier is proud to help further instill the holiday spirit, not only among the residents of these seven neighborhoods, but also, for all of Fort Wayne and Allen County to enjoy.”
Preparation for the event began in May when Steve Shine, the event’s coordinator and partner in Shine & Hardin, LLP, whose offices are located on the Broadway Plaza where the tree is located, reviewed the multitude of offers from area residents to donate their trees for use as this year’s “Christmas on Broadway” tree. A final selection of the tree was made on Labor Day weekend, with the donors and the tree’s specifics to be announced closer to the event. “All I can say,” Shine said upon selecting the tree, “It was love at first sight! The tree is magnificent and is most fitting for our ten year tree lighting anniversary.”
The fireworks display will be coordinated by Matt Loraine of Melrose Pyrotechnics, the company that also produces the fireworks displays for the Tin Caps, the Three Rivers Festival, and the City of Fort Wayne’s Fourth of July event. “While the display on Broadway cannot be of the magnitude of our other outdoor events, given the close proximity of buildings and spectators to the fireworks,” said Loraine, “we have assembled the best “close proximity” displays available, which will no doubt provide a magnificent compliment to an already great event.”
The tree will be delivered to the Broadway Plaza by Mudrack Tree Service, on Friday, November 14th. Crews will work throughout the week that follows on preparing the tree and the plaza for the tree lighting and fireworks that will occur on Friday, November 21st, at 6:00 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be present with hot chocolate, cookies and Santa hats for the children. A live reindeer, the Polar Express train ride and holiday music will also be featured.
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