Winter Market, Christmas Tree Lighting In Basking Ridge To Feature Broadway Star

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The 8th Annual Winter Market and Christmas Tree Lighting in Basking Ridge returns with special guest Tony Award Winner, Laura Benanti. This will be the second year that Benanti has joined the event.

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Winter Market

The Winter Market is held on Saturday, Dec. 4 at noon to 7 p.m. at Bishop Janes United Methodist Church featuring more than 30 local vendors and artisans. Children can participate in holiday crafts and Christmas trees and wreaths will be available for sale, as well as food, desserts, and handmade crafts.

From 4 to 5 p.m., the community can participate in holiday crafts with the Mr. Local History Project on the front porch of the Ridge Family Dentistry. Children can help decorate Mr. Local History’s "Make a Wish to the New Year" tree.

Christmas Tree Lighting

At 5 p.m., the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony begins. Benanti will lead a sing-along of holiday favorites. The Dance Lab from William Annin will also perform. The event will conclude with a countdown to the lighting of the Christmas Tree.

This year, the community can view the event in-person in Downtown Basking Ridge or watch the live stream at BRholiday.org.

After the tree lighting, the community can visit Santa from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. on the front porch of Ridge Family Dentistry.

"We are very excited that Laura Benanti will be joining our event for a second year," said Ryan
McCloskey, President of the Basking Ridge Business Alliance. "This is our 8th year hosting the
Winter Market and Christmas Tree Lighting, and we hope that the community will join us for our
best event ever. We wish a happy holiday season to one and all."

Benanti has received five Tony Award nominations and won the 2008 Tony Award for her
performance in "Gypsy." She starred on Broadway in 13 shows including "She Loves Me" and
"My Fair Lady."

She has also starred in many television shows including Supergirl, Nashville, Younger and the upcoming Gossip Girl reboot for HBOMAX. She was also the executive producer of the musical documentary Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020, and she released a self-titled album for Sony records. Benanti is the daughter-in-law of local Coldwell Banker realtor and community member Lisa Brown.

This event is a joint effort between the Basking Ridge Business Alliance (BRBA) and Bishop
Janes United Methodist Church. Coldwell Banker is a Presenting Sponsor. Bernards Township
has partnered with these organizations to help support this event.

For more information, visit BRBAnj.org.

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