The Chamber of Commerce of Newtown, The Borough of Newtown, and Newtown Parks & Recreation are sponsoring a fundraising drive for the 34th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and luminarias display. This year’s event has been scheduled for Friday, November 30. Activities, including live entertainment, will begin at 6:30 pm, and the tree will be lit at 7 pm. Caroling and visits with Santa and Mrs Claus will continue after that.

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

Checks should be made payable to Newtown Chamber of Commerce and mailed to Chamber of Commerce, Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470. Donations can also be dropped off at the chamber office, located on the main floor of the former town hall building. A drop slot is available on the door of the chamber office.

For additional information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 203-426-2695 or visit [naviga:u]newtown-ct.com[/naviga:u].

[naviga:u]Residents can also purchase luminaria kits[/naviga:u] that will mirror those being used to lead crowds to Ram Pasture on November 30.

Luminaria kits — sturdy cardboard boxes with cutouts in the shapes of a tree and a star, with clear plastic protecting the cutout spaces and one plumber’s candle per box — are $3 each. Each candle burns for eight to ten hours, according to tree lighting volunteers.

The kits are available at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street; Newtown Hardware, 61 Church Hill Road; the office of The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road; the Newtown Parks & Recreation office, 3 Main Street; and Sal e Pepe Contemporary Italian Bistro, 97 South Main Street.

The following donations have been received as of this week:

In Memory of:

Kenneth N. Fredrickson, 4 bulbs, donated by John & Janet Johnson

Kenneth N. Fredrickson, 4 bulbs, donated by Margaret R. Pulaski & Richard E. Michel

Kenneth N. Fredrickson, 5 bulbs, donated by Sharon Jarr

In Honor of:

Vincent Gray, 1 bulb, donated by Marie Stangel

Connie Baron, 1 bulb, donated by Marie Stangel

Daniel R. Bandura, 1 luminaria, donated by Joannie Bandura

Phyllis Harrison, 1 luminaria, donated by Joannie Bandura