City November 24, 2012 12:16 PM

29th Annual Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration

29th Annual Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration
queenseyes
queenseyes 21
On Saturday, December 1st, Rotary Rink will be the place to be as the 29th annual festive tree lighting gets underway. This event is a lot of fun for everyone, as skaters take to the rink en masse while holiday tunes are played and everyone instantly gets into the spirit of the holidays.

It's truly a magical scene, with lots of families turning up to witness the  opening of the rink at 5pm and the lighting of the tree at 6pm. Skating is free at Rotary Rink, but skate rentals do cost a couple of bucks*. Not long after the tree is aglow, Santa will light off the fireworks display, creating a spectacular splash of color as the bursts reflect off the rink. 

Along with the tree-lighting festivities and a visit from Santa, there will be holiday gifts, horse and wagon rides, clowns and balloon art, face painting and of course the free ice-skating. The event is sponsored by Buffalo Place and National Grid. 

*There is a $2.00 skate rental fee for children and $3.00 skate rental fee for adults.  Santa and his elves will visit with children from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Skating continues through March 17, 2013. 

Photo: Joe Cascio

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21 Comments Leave a comment
Captain Picard
November 24, 2012 12:34 PM
Captain Picard

Love this event!

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sbrof
November 24, 2012 3:22 PM
sbrof

Always a great time. I brought some International Students to this a couple years ago, first time they ever experience snow, Christmas and North America for them. A great way to show off our city.

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RaChaCha
November 24, 2012 10:20 PM
RaChaCha

This was great in 2010, when we roundly booed the county executive. This year, I look forward to cheering for the county executive.

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Postermaster
November 25, 2012 11:10 AM
Postermaster

We can roundly applaud his tax hike proposal.

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replied to RaChaCha
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RaChaCha
November 25, 2012 9:28 PM
RaChaCha

Not me.

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replied to Postermaster
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Postermaster
November 26, 2012 11:43 PM
Postermaster

That's because you aren't a profit center, so your tax increase is negligible. Your focus is on redistribution, not wealth creation. Good for you, I guess.

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replied to RaChaCha
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RaChaCha
November 26, 2012 11:48 PM
RaChaCha

"Not me" = I WON'T BE APPLAUDING the proposed tax increase. I happen to strongly agree with Comptroller Shenk that it should be reconsidered. I hope that clears up your apparent confusion.

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replied to Postermaster
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whatever
November 25, 2012 5:25 PM
whatever

RaChaCha>"This was great in 2010, when we roundly booed the county executive."

Hooray for xmas season event partisan booing and still bragging about it two years later - awesome!
(...although if anybody ever booed a D official such as O at an xmas tree lighting holiday event, they'd be - at best - lectured about civility, tolerance, etc.
…ironic, isn't it, that you guys who brag about roundly booing people at xmas events because they have viewpoints different from yours are so often claimed to be the civil tolerant ones? - lol)

Hopefully it won't lessen the fun of anyone who's cheering the new CE this time to at that moment remember that Collins has already ended up with a promotion to Congress which he'd have wanted even if he'd been re-elected as CE last year.
[-- Homer style "D'ohh!" --]

While I think of it - happy winter season holidays to all, even to uncivil intolerant folks who perhaps consider themselves more civil & tolerant than people who they roundly boo at xmas tree lighting events then keep bragging about it for years! :-)

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replied to RaChaCha
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RaChaCha
November 25, 2012 8:47 PM
RaChaCha

Whatever.

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replied to whatever
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whatever
November 26, 2012 10:48 PM
whatever

I like when my user name is typed as a single-word reply ... makes it easy to see when a nerve is touched!

But really, maybe I'm the only one who thinks a public xmas tree event isn't appropriate for partisan booing of public officials who the booers don't support politically.

It would be just as out of place if at this year's tree lighting any of the just-under-half of residents who voted against Poloncarz for county exec would boo him.
Many feel the same about Poloncarz as some of you guys feel about Collins, but that setting wouldn't be a good time or place for us to express it either (or toward the mayor, or anyone).

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replied to RaChaCha
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RaChaCha
November 26, 2012 11:38 PM
RaChaCha

What. Ever.

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replied to whatever
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Allentwnguy
November 24, 2012 10:47 PM
Allentwnguy

Does anyone know if skate rental is mandatory or can you bring your own skates?

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sbrof
November 25, 2012 9:02 AM
sbrof

Not mandatory

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replied to Allentwnguy
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paulsobo
November 24, 2012 11:41 PM
paulsobo

Skip the clowns and face painting

With events like this ...downtown retail should be primed

A big key to downtown retail is more downtown residential. Particularly car less residential located within blocks of light rail.

The next step should be to extend the Light Rail to Larkin District. Right now the growth area are near light rail: downtown, canal district and COE life sciences are all connected. The larkin is a short distance and there is good growth there.

This is wonderful for downtown...there really is something happening dwntwn every month.

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Allentwnguy
November 25, 2012 10:28 AM
Allentwnguy

The first powder keg fest was fun. It was nice to see a fun city that would close a highway ramp for tubing. But as far as most other things happening downtown Buffalo Place pretty much rules the downtown area. If it is not good for that little click it isn't going to happen.

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buffloonitick
November 25, 2012 12:37 PM
buffloonitick

yeah, skip the clowns and the face painting because that would entail children actually having fun and we can't have any of that...
anyone caught smiling will be ticketed by the anti-fun police and as retribution will be required to sit through a series of lectures on the positives of dogmatic sternness and rigid seriousness.
having fun has been known to cause famine, flatten tires and clog toilets and a host of other societal ills. we just can't take the chance of smiling and bringing that wrath upon ourselves.

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replied to paulsobo
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paulsobo
November 25, 2012 7:44 PM
paulsobo

People managed to have fun in this nation for 300 years without painting their faces like some left coast hippie begetting a child at a group gathering and a turkey baster. I see no reason why Buffalo must copy the worst societal manure of the LA ans SF crowd.

Buffalonians are far more down to earth incorporating many of the best attributes of the Midwest, northeast and midatlatic...let the left coast lunatics and their ways stay there

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replied to buffloonitick
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PaulBuffalo
November 25, 2012 8:11 PM
PaulBuffalo

People managed to have fun in this nation for 300 years without painting their faces like some left coast hippie begetting a child at a group gathering and a turkey baster.

I formally nominate ChristieLou's comment above for BRO quote of the year even though I have no idea what it means.

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replied to paulsobo
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Postermaster
November 25, 2012 9:16 PM
Postermaster

Paulsbo,

Man has been paining his face since the intercourse of mud and man. Children like face painting which helps parents out tremendously.

But, your spin on this is pure brilliance, so f>+k face painting. I’m with you.

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replied to paulsobo
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buffloonitick
November 26, 2012 8:48 AM
buffloonitick

face painting could be construed as a 'gateway' activity that could lead to left wing politics and embracing the hippie lifestyle. save our children now and ban face painting.
now the clowns are an insidious bunch, they've been known to incorporate subliminal Leninist themes into their comedy routines to impress these young minds and steer them into areas that only a card carrying communist would be comfortable in. i would propose stricter hiring guidelines for clowns with McCarthy like questions that would be cleared by the appropriate authorities. or maybe it's just better to ban the clowns altogether but dealing with an organized clown lobbying effort against that ban could be quite challenging. you never know what a commie clown has up it's sleeve.

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replied to paulsobo
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Buffaloian
November 25, 2012 12:17 PM
Buffaloian

For years now I cannot understand why M&T Bank finds it necessary to not turn on the soffit lights on their landmark building at special downtown events.
Your name is on the building, don't you want the free advertising not to mention the public (many of your customers) being able to see all the beautiful detailed shadow lines that can only be seen with night time illumination on this landmark building.

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