On Thursday, December 3, WCVB Channel 5’s Mary Richardson and Anthony Everett hosted the annual Holiday Tree lighting ceremony on Boston Common. The occasion featured a variety of performers, including “Back at One” R&B singer Brian McKnight, “American Idol” Season 6 third-place finalist Melinda Doolittle, Scottish singer-songwriter Maureen McMullan, the Boston Arts Academy Dance Troupe, the Huntington Theatre Company, the Masquerade cabaret troupe, and MAGIC 106.7 radio’s Nancy Quill and Mike Addams. The evening’s warm temps packed in hundreds on the Common lawn, including many small children anxious for a glimpse of Santa Claus and his elves. Mayor Menino, though scheduled to press the official tree-lighting button, was still on the mend from a November 8th knee surgery after tearing a tendon in his left knee, and was unable to attend.
R&B singer Brian McKnight (middle, black jacket)on stage with Santa and his helpers
2009 marks the 38th year Nova Scotia has gifted the city of Boston with a Christmas tree as a thank you for the city’s help during the explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbor on December 6, 1917. During the emergency, the City of Boston sent relief aid within 24 hours of the disaster in the form of supplies and personnel from the Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee. This year’s holiday lights display also includes more than 80 trees throughout the Common park paths, as well as a nativity, and seasonal decorations and projections on the Frog Pond skating rink.
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