Thousands Welcome The Season At 109th Doylestown Tree Lighting

DOYLESTOWN, PA - Thousands gathered in the heart of Doylestown Borough Friday night to welcome the holiday season with a tradition dating back more than a century.

The town’s annual tree lighting ushered in the excitement of the season in grand fashion, with Santa greeting the crowd from a bucket truck and the spirit of the season filling the air.

Calling it “the greatest tree lighting in America,” FOX 29’s Richard Curtis welcomed the crowd to the 109th town tree lighting “in one of the most iconic downtown's across the entire United States of America.

“We are so proud to call this our hometown and we are so glad you are here to help us celebrate 109 years of lighting up this gorgeous tree,” Curtis continued.

“This year’s tree is beautiful,” he said of the 26 foot tall Nordmann Fir donated to the town by Bountiful Acres. The 600 pound tree decorated with 5,000 LED lights stands as a symbol of the season at the intersection of State and Main.

As the Bucks Country Gentlemen and the Central Bucks West Choirs performed holiday favorites, several special guests made the rounds greeting the crowds, including Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch, Mrs. Claus, and Anna and Elsa from the movie “Frozen.”

Just after 6 p.m., the Winterfest Parade arrived at the intersection featuring BikeWorks, Bucks Bubbles, State Rep. Tim Brennan, State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, CB West Track and Field, Action Karate, Ascend Dance, Nook Nook Music School, Moore Family Power Washing, Simplee U, Andrew Pearson, Girl Scouts, Main Street (formerly Pine2Pink), Bountiful Acres, SJR, Doylestown Borough Public Works and the CB West Marching Band.

Santa arrived in the heart of Doylestown aboard a century-old antique fire truck driven by members of the Doylestown Fire Company No. 1. The appearance capped off a year long celebration of the Ahrens Fox antique engine, which turned 100 this year.

With the assistance of the firefighters, the man of the hour made his way to a nearby bucket truck, which lifted him high above the intersection where he greeted Doylestown with waves and a jolly “Ho, Ho, Ho.”

Youngsters screamed out Santa’s name as parents captured the excitement on their smartphones.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am. What a crowd,” said Santa from his perch high above the crowd.

“Okay, are you ready to do the countdown?” Curtis asked the crowd as everyone began counting down from 10.

Suddenly the darkened corner of Main and State was ablaze with light as the 26 foot tall tree glistened in the chilly night air.

The evening was organized by Discover Doylestown and Doylestown Borough with the support of Simply Fresh by McCaffrey’s. The evening’s other sponsors included Worth & Company, Marshall Financial Group, Jeff Lavine Team Keller Williams Real Estate, Doylestown Borough Public Works, dtown tech, Murphy, Bountiful Acres, TebWeb, Doylestown Fire Company No. 1, and Doylestown Borough.