Robert Moore knows all about the tree that sits in the field next to the Great Falls Village Centre. When the original tree died in 1995, he was part of the group that found the tree near Wolf Trap and planted it in Great Falls. Since then, Great Falls residents have gathered around the tree every holiday season to light the tree and celebrate the season with their friends and neighbors.
"This is the first year we've used LED lights on the tree," Moore said. "This year we used about 4,500 of them, so I guess we're saving some energy."
Moore and the other coordinators of the annual tree lighting ceremony use a sky lift to wind the thousands of lights around the tree, which is more than 20 feet tall.
This year's festivities took place Friday, and thousands came out to sing Christmas Carols, meet Santa and Mrs. Clause, enjoy a petting zoo and watch a live nativity scene.
"There's sort of something for everyone, and I like to make sure we get a chance to take it all in," said Allison Fulwell of Great Falls. "You get Santa, you get the nativity, but it's also just fun to come out and enjoy celebrating as a community."
Just after sundown, a brightly-lit vehicle made its way around the Executive Suites building at the Great Falls Village Centre. Several reindeer made of lights led the way for the Great Falls fire engine, which served as the official escort for Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Once the tree was lit, guests could enjoy popcorn and hot cider, and listen to the Langley High School Madrigals sing old Christmas carols.
While Santa was mobbed by most children during his time at the tree lighting, Josh Zane, 4, has little to no interest in Father Christmas.
"Every year, Josh gets excited about the tree lighting, but not about the tree itself, or Santa. He loves the animals," said his father David Zane. "He'll spend his time rotating between the petting zoo and the horse rides. We don't even try to get a photo of him near the tree anymore."
Josh Zane says his decision is a practical one.
"We'll see Santa later when our family gets our picture with him somewhere else, and he's even going to stop by our house," he said. "But it's winter time, and there won't be any chances to play with animals when it's cold outside, so I need to do it now."
CEO Ike Sutton commented, "The opening of our new DC office further solidifies SavWatt's presence. Being even closer to key decision makers and lobby groups will greatly benefit our cause. In addition, President Obama's speech for additional funding to make America's buildings more energy efficient will allow us more opportunities to prove the SavWatt brand is the light of the future."
About SavWatt Fast becoming the market leader in LED lighting, SavWatt focuses on developing innovative, energy-efficient and cost-effective LED lighting solutions. By delivering value added, application-specific LED lighting systems, we can significantly reduce energy costs and minimize our carbon footprint worldwide.
SavWatt is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb. SavWatt's product families include LED fixtures, bulbs, street lights, and parking lights.
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