Mayor will do the honors Sunday for community 22-footer

By Gregory Childress

gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645

Chapel Hill -- The town will kick off the holiday season Sunday by lighting a 22-foot Community Tree in the Memorial Garden of University Baptist Church at the corner of Columbia and Franklin streets.

Mayor-elect Mark Kleinschmidt will serve as the official tree-lighter at the ceremony scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.

In addition to the tree lighting, the church's choir will provide music, and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand to take pictures with the children.

The community tree will stay up throughout the holiday season.

Throughout the month of December, the Downtown Partnership and the Town of Chapel Hill are taking steps to create a festive atmosphere.

"It's important to draw people into downtown for shopping and to experience Chapel Hill," said Jim Norton, executive director of the Downtown Partnership.

And what better to put downtown patrons and visitors in a good mood than free parking in parking-challenged Chapel Hill.

"It's absolutely a plus," Norton said. "Free parking on Saturday and Sunday will make it easier to get around."

Throughout the holiday season, the Town of Chapel Hill will offer free parking each Saturday in December in all municipal lots, the Wallace parking deck and at street meters.

At 5 p.m., the Wallace Deck and Rosemary/Columbia Lot will begin charging at their normal rate, but parking will continue to be free at the meters and other municipal lots.

As always, parking is free on Sundays in downtown Chapel Hill.

Other holiday activities scheduled for the month include:

n The Chapel Hill -Carrboro Holiday Parade, which will be held Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon.

The parade starts at the Morehead Planetarium and winds the entire length of Franklin Street to Carrboro Town Hall.

n The Downtown Partnership and Friends of the Downtown are providing businesses with strands of lights to illuminate their store fronts.

The lights are free for downtown businesses to hang up and create a warm and inviting atmosphere for patrons.

For more information, contact the Downtown Partnership at 967-9440 or partnership@downtownchapelhill.com.