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Luminaria Will Light Your Way to the Free Community Christmas Celebration and Concert at NC Wesleyan College


November 23, 1998

Rocky Mount, NC The public is invited to the free Community Christmas Celebration which will be held at North Carolina Wesleyan College, Thursday, December 3, in the Dunn Center for the Performing Arts. The events start at 6 p.m. with the Christmas Tree Decorating & Lighting in the lobby, entertainment by the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, and a special visit from Santa Claus. A Christmas Concert and Sing-along will follow at 7 p.m. The public is invited to come drive around the campus before the Tree Lighting to enjoy the luminaria that will line the streets.

The public is invited to this free event. This year the public is encouraged to bring a donation of canned goods instead of Christmas ornaments. The canned goods will be distributed to area food pantries.

The Christmas Concert and Sing-along will be in the Minges Auditorium from 7- 8 p.m. Christmas selections will be performed by The Tar River Childrens Chorus, directed by Patsy Gilliland. The Tar River Youth Chorale will also perform, with Dana Mitchell conducting. Jesse Shearin will conduct the Tar River Chorus. In addition, the Wesleyan Choir, directed by Mark Pace, and the Wesleyan Gospel Choir, directed by Candace Rowe, will perform Christmas songs. There will be an audience sing-along of traditional Christmas carols with the combined choirs led by Patsy Gilliland. Members of the Wesleyan Drama Department will perform selected Christmas readings.

Preceding the tree lighting the NC Wesleyan campus will be lined with luminaria to add to the holiday cheer. People planning to attend the Christmas Celebration and Concert may want to plan to arrive earlier and drive around the campus to enjoy the spectacle. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the luminaria project. Luminaria are small paper bags (usually white) in which tea candles are placed and held by sand. Numerous bags are placed approximately 3-5 feet apart around the designated area. At dusk the candles are lit and a "pathway" is created by the luminaria. It is quite a remarkable scene.