ORLEANS –– A steady snowfall on Sunday evening stopped just in time for the Annual Orleans Village Tree Lighting Ceremony and Light the Night Parade.
In addition to hundreds of twinkling lights, community members enjoy refreshments and visits with Santa at the Orleans Fire Station. This was the eighth year for the tree lighting ceremony. The evening was also the second year for the Light Up the Night Parade put on by Irasburg-Albany PTC and Wright’s Towing.
Bryanne Marquis, chair of the Orleans and Brownington Parent Teacher Community Association (PTCA), explained that Orleans Community Member April Lane came up with the idea because she felt that going into Orleans with all the lights during the holiday season was like entering Christmas Town. Marquis went on to say that at the time, Lane was on the Parent-Teacher Association, which organized the event.
“It has taken off and grown from there,” Marquis said. “It’s a way for Orleans Village to come together and celebrate the winter season, the upcoming holidays, be together, and do our tree lighting all together as a village.”
Kyle Chadburn provided holiday tunes inside the Orleans Fire Station while folks waited for the Light the Night parade and tree lighting. Every year, the community nominates students from the Orleans Elementary School (OES) and Brownington Central School to flip the “magic switch” that turned on all the lights. This year, Marquis’ daughter, Felicity Terrell, a kindergarten student from OES, had the honor. The Orleans Village staff actually decorated the village.
The Irasburg and Albany PTCA provided refreshments. The Lake Region Union High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) sold fudge as a fundraiser and provided samples of the fudge that the students had made.
Maeda Urie of the FBLA program explained that the money will help cover travel expenses for upcoming conferences in San Antonio, Texas, and Norwich University, as well as an international one in London and Paris.
