BonnerSprings.com

In a time when budgets are being cut across the board, Edwardsville residents got a surprise Tuesday night when a new tree was unveiled at the annual Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting event.

Using donated funds, the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee was able to give some updated holiday cheer when most people will be cutting back this time of year.

Tammie Burgoon, Parks and Recreation director, said the money for the new tree came about through the volunteer efforts of parks and rec committee member Luis Fasani.

Fasani works for Time Warner Cable, which used to have a program that donated $1,000 to any organization that one of its employees volunteered with for at least 30 hours. Through his involvement with parks and rec, Fasani was able to secure a total of $3,000 for volunteer hours with the committee in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

The first $1,800 went to new benches at the city’s soccer fields, but the committee was having trouble deciding where to spend the remaining $1,200 until this year.

“(The Parks and Recreation Committee) thought we really need to do it for the community,” said committee chairperson, Randy Gilbert at an Oct. 26 City Council meeting when he announced the plans to buy the tree.

While the new 12-foot tree may not be as large as the lighting ceremony’s former tree, which was planted to the side of the fire station, the new tree is more manageable. That means, Burgoon said, the decorations can be more elaborate.

“We can actually reach the top,” she said. “We can put the right amount of lights on it to make it look better. The other was way too big.”

With the new tree in place to the side of City Hall, a crowd of residents gathered around Tuesday as Christy Nitsche, public affairs specialist for Time Warner, flipped the switch to light up the tree for the first time.

Also entertaining the crowd was the Edwardsville Elementary choir, which sang songs such as “A Holly, Jolly, Christmas,” “Feliz Navidad” and “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Following the outside festivities, families walked to the community center, where hot chocolate, cookies and Santa Claus greeted them.

“I think it’s great that this brings everyone together,” said Lesley Strohschein as she watched her 6-year-old son, Noah, sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what he wanted for Christmas.

This was the first time Strohschein and her family had attended the tree lighting, but she said she was impressed with what she saw.

“(My sons) like the lights,” she said. “It was nice, and the boys enjoyed it.”

Not far from Santa himself was Santa’s Secret Shop, which is an event the Parks and Recreation Committee decided to take over after Edwardsville Elementary canceled it this year.

Santa’s Secret Shop will allow children to shop for holiday gifts for their family and friends. Available gifts include knickknacks, photo frames, stuffed animals, pens, toys and jewelry with prices ranging from $.30 to $9.

The shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, at the community center.

For information about Santa’s Secret Shop or to volunteer, call Tammie Burgoon at (913) 441-3707 or send an e-mail to tburgoon@edwardsvilleks.org.

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