On Nov. 17, Elizabethtown College kicked off this year’s holiday celebrations with a traditional tree and menorah lighting in front of hundreds of Etown students and community members who gathered to celebrate this event with their friends and loved ones.
Senior history major Gavin McCabe and senior pre-med student Alex Petrocelli hosted this year’s Tree Lighting Ceremony. McCabe showcased his comedic skills by offering the audience one of his many holiday-themed original jokes. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is arranged by the Etown College Student Senate’s Traditions Committee, and Abigail Lindsay, who heads the committee, started off the event by talking about the importance of this day for the community and what it meant to her.
Student Body President Madison Holmberg followed Lindsay and talked about what this time of the year means for her. She said what many others were feeling at that moment: this time of year brings us closer to our loved ones. Holmberg was also able to share her vocal talents with the audience, as she performed with Vocalign at the end of the event.
“Blue Jay power!” Elizabethtown mayor Chuck Mummert, who was invited to speak at the Tree Lighting Ceremony, said. Mummert, who was awarded Mayor of the Year by the Association of Mayors of Boroughs of Pennsylvania according to LNP, cheered on the crowd and encouraged a stronger feeling of Blue Jay community.
The next speaker was Etown Dining Services employee Wilhelmina Stapf, or Willy, who reminded us of the connections that we may take for granted on campus. She spoke of how honored she was to have played such a big part in building the Etown community and how much she enjoys coming to work everyday and having interactions with students, faculty and staff. Willy was welcomed with a huge round of applause and the occasional “We love you, Willy!”
Willy also spoke about her personal experiences growing up and how she had such a close relationship with her grandma: “If my mom said no to something, and my dad said no as well, I knew I could just ask my grandma, and I would get whatever it is that I wanted.”
Etown College President Betty Rider followed Willy in reminding everyone about the close knit community of the College and what the holiday season means for the Etown community. Students, who are often living away from their families, find a new family along with their friends and build relationships with the faculty and staff. She thanked the people who made the lighting ceremony happen and thanked everyone who showed up and helped further the College’s commitment towards building rich connections.
Finally, the College’s a cappella groups were given the stage to perform holiday-themed songs. The crowd was impressed by all the performances of Vocalign, Melica and Phalanx. Sophomore secondary education major and a member of Vocalign Grace Diehl said, “This is my favorite time of the year, as you can see how happy and sentimental the crowd is at this time of the year. It really adds to the performance, especially since all the a cappella groups are performing holiday-themed songs.”
At the end of the event, members of the community who registered to get a complementary, limited edition Tree Lighting Ceremony 2022 mug were told to go collect their mugs. There was a long line of people waiting to get their hands on their reserved mugs, as they wanted a special way to remember this night.
As the semester winds down, and a lot of students feel increasingly stressed, this was the perfect event to remind them what being an Etown student is all about: connections.
