The Chamber of Commerce of Newtown has expanded its fundraising for the 30th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Ram Pasture, scheduled this year for Friday, December 5. The event will begin with musical performances at 6:30 pm, and culminate with the tree lighting at 7, followed by caroling, hot chocolate, and visits with Santa and Mrs Claus.

During the hours leading up to the big event, members of the Ram Pasture Tree Lighting Committee will be out, placing luminarias around Ram Pasture. Lit around sunset, the bags — which will also be set out by owners of surrounding properties along Elm Drive, Hawley Lane, and the sections of Sugar Street, Main Street, and Main Street South in the immediate vicinity — will lead everyone to Ram Pasture for the first tree lighting of the season in Newtown.

A few weeks ago, The Tree Lighting Committee members announced that they have decided to use glow sticks inside the white bags, replacing tea light candles that have been traditionally used. With that decision, however, also comes a larger bill than in years past for the one of the first events in town of the holiday season.

Chamber President Timothy Haas said this week that the cost of putting on the tree lighting ceremony has gone up “significantly” due to the decision to use glow sticks.

“Light sticks are more expensive than the candles,” he told The Newtown Bee on November 18. They eliminate a fire hazard, however, which is something the committee has been striving for.

A large part of the decision to change from candles to glow sticks is to alleviate a fire hazard, said Planning Committee Co-Chair Diana Johnson.

“The fire marshal has asked us for a few years to find an alternative to the candles,” she said.

Even a relatively small paper bag weighted with sand is a fire hazard, said Newtown Fire Marshal William Halstead.

“Any place is a fire hazard,” Mr Halstead said November 19. “The problem we were having was, nobody was taking care of the bags after the tree lighting.

“They’d be put out just prior to the tree lighting, and then just be left burning,” he said.

When the tree lighting was held on a windy night, fires were a problem, especially for Hook & Ladder firefighters. Ram Pasture is within that fire company’s district.

“One of these things flops over onto some leaves, and those leaves catch on fire,” the fire marshal stated. “I got sick of hearing Hook & Ladder going out time and time again because people weren’t putting them out, and then they’d see a fire in their front yard.”

Parks & Rec employees have, for the past five years, gone out around 10 pm following each Ram Pasture tree lighting to extinguish all of the candles. The employees — who were paid overtime for the work — also took care of removing the bags that had been place around Ram Pasture.

“Since the Parks & Recreation Department has taken over the process of putting the fires out, there really has not been any issues,” said Mr Halstead.

Another new twist on the luminarias: because there is no fire involved, the bags will be left out overnight, allowing the glow sticks to run their full life. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and other volunteers will pick up the spent luminarias Saturday morning, said Mrs Johnson.

“They’ll be picked up the next morning, because there is no worry about fire with the glow sticks. They’ll just generally fade.

“The Scouts and others will be there around 9 o’clock the next morning to pick up the bags, and sort the items for recycling or trash,” she said. “The glow sticks will be allowed to just generally fade out during the night.”

The glow sticks, which she had originally thought were green, “are yellow, with a faint tinge of green. It’s not going to be a Christmas green.

“With the cellophane cutout of the Christmas tree” on the side of the bags, created and donated each year by Curtis Packaging, “the glow is going to be similar to the flame of a candle,” she said. “And that’s really all we’re looking for.”

Sponsors Of All Levels Invited

To cover the new costs of the tree lighting, local businesses are invited to help the chamber keep the special event alive, through sponsorships.

There are a few different opportunities, including: Platinum Sponsor for $1,000; Gold Sponsor, $500; Silver Sponsor, $250; and Bronze Sponsor, $150. The Tree Lighting Committee is also accepting donations from businesses that would like to “purchase” a memorial bulb or luminaria to honor someone special for $25.

Mr Haas estimated it will cost an additional $1,100 this year on top of the regular fees incurred for the tree lighting.

“Between the glow sticks and some new bulbs for the tree itself, it’s costing a fortune this year. It’s becoming a bigger line item each year,” he said. “This is a good time for any service-minded business that would like to see Ram Pasture’s tree lit get involved.”

While additional tree lightings have joined the Ram Pasture event since the turn of the century (Sandy Hook will host its 14th annual event on December 6, and Hawleyville will host its fifth annual tree lighting the following evening), Mr Haas still sees the Ram Pasture one as “a huge deal.”

“It’s a big deal,” he said. “This tradition has been around for 30 years. We’d like to see the community show support for this.

“I love this thing,” he added. “We all do.”

Checks should be made payable to The Newtown Chamber of Commerce and accompanied by a note denoting which sponsorship level is requested and/or how many bulbs or luminarias are being purchased. If purchasing the latter, please indicate who each bulb or luminaria will honor or memorialize. Checks and information should be mailed to Newtown Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 314, Newtown CT 06470.

Mr Haas can be reached for additional information at 203-297-6089.

Individuals Still Welcome To Donate

Individuals are still invited to participate in the annual fundraising drive for the luminarias display and bulbs.

“People who want to donate $10 to honor someone special are still invited to do so,” Mr Haas said this week. “We still want people to feel like they can contribute for a bulb or luminaria, as has been done for many years.”

Donors may donate $10 for a bulb or luminaria to honor someone special, following the instructions above. The annual fund drive continues until the end of the year.

Additional information regarding individual donations should be directed to Mrs Johnson, who can be reached by calling 203-426-5418.