Celebration With Illumination: Light Up Lakewood 2017 To Spread Holiday Cheer On December 2

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LakewoodAlive’s Festive Community Event Expected to Draw Thousands of Guests

It’s a most joyous of Lakewood traditions and it’s back in Downtown Lakewood for an 11th consecutive year. The spirit of the season will come to life with holiday cheer when Light Up Lakewood 2017 takes place on Saturday, December 2.

Sponsored by First Federal Lakewood and presented by LakewoodAlive, Light Up Lakewood celebrates the season and the richness of our city’s vibrancy. This free, family-friendly event in Downtown Lakewood features a holiday parade, lighting ceremony, winter fireworks, live music, ice carvings, hot chocolate, food trucks, children’s games and much more.

Attendees are invited to stroll Lakewood's downtown district and visit local stores and restaurants while taking in the sights and sounds of one of Northeast Ohio's largest holiday celebrations. Light Up Lakewood serves as a marquee event for the entire region, having drawn an estimated 20,000 guests last year.

Light Up Lakewood represents a day-long celebration that starts with Lunch with Santa at Dewey's Pizza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and doesn't end until the music stops playing at 8 p.m. Guests' sensory perceptions will be delighted by the twinkle of holiday lights, the cheerful sounds of carolers and the warmth exuded by the festive, friendly atmosphere.

Highlights include Vendor Village inside the historic Lakewood Masonic Temple, the ever-popular Holiday Parade, which commences at Manor Park at 5 p.m. and ends in front of the Lakewood Public Library, live entertainment provided by bands, choirs, the Lighting Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Stage at City Center Park and a can't-miss fireworks show at 7 p.m. over the rooftops of Downtown Lakewood.

Schedule of Events for Light Up Lakewood 2017:

• 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Lunch with Santa at Dewey’s Pizza
• 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Ongoing performances at Lakewood Baptist Church with a surprise visitor
• 3 p.m. – King and Queen Ceremony at Plantation Home
• 4 p.m. – Festival Kickoff with Vendor Village at the Lakewood Masonic Temple and the Food Court opening
• 5 p.m. – Start of Parade at Manor Park and Detroit Avenue, headed westbound on Detroit
• 5:30 – 9 p.m. – Santa visits Lakewood Public Library
• 6 – 8 p.m. – Ongoing performances at Lakewood Public Library
• 6:30 p.m. – Lighting Ceremony at Main Stage at City Center Park (in front of the Marc’s Plaza)
• 7 p.m. – Fireworks Show

"Light Up Lakewood is our signature community event and we're thrilled to welcome thousands of Lakewoodites and visitors from across the region yet again," said Ian Andrews, Executive Director of LakewoodAlive. "Whether you're feeling the spirit of the holiday season or simply wish to enjoy a festive urban atmosphere, perhaps no event better showcases our city's vibrancy than this long-standing Lakewood tradition.”

Light Up Lakewood Festival Queen and King Scholarship Application

As part of our commitment to fostering and sustaining vibrant neighborhoods, LakewoodAlive partners with Plantation Home owner David Stein to provide two $500 scholarships to Lakewood residents who are high school juniors in the 2017-18 school year. This scholarship celebrates community service, pride in Lakewood, and a commitment to further strengthening the community. Six finalists will be selected to be interviewed, three for the Queen and three for the King. One Queen and one King will be chosen by the selection committee as the scholarship recipients. Visit LakewoodAlive.org/LightUpLakewood to access the scholarship application, which is due via email or postmarked November 10, 2017.

For more information and continued updates, please visit LakewoodAlive.org/LightUpLakewood.

Light Up Lakewood is generously supported by the following sponsors:

Title Sponsor and Fireworks Sponsor: First Federal Lakewood
Sparkle Sponsors: City of Lakewood | Convey360 | Roundstone Insurance
Photo Booth Sponsor: Eric Lowrey, Berkshire Hathaway/Lucien Realty
Jingle Sponsors: Ohio Savings Bank | The University of Akron, School of Social Work, Lakewood Campus
Twinkle Sponsor: Beck Center for the Arts