New Milford's Festival of Lights & Small Business Saturday Kicks Off Holiday Season

NEW MILFORD, CT — The Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the town's annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 26th at 5:30 p.m. on the Village Green. The Festival of Lights includes the lighting of the trees on the green and a visit with Santa. The trees have been put up each year for the last 50 years by the United Methodist Men of the New Milford United Methodist Church.

November 26th is also Small Business Saturday, a shopping tradition founded by American Express in 2010 to help businesses get more customers by encouraging people to shop at local, small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

"We encourage you to Shop Local and support all of the businesses in the Greater New Milford area. We invite and encourage you to visit our downtown merchants prior to the ceremony on the Green. Come and enjoy the wonder of downtown New Milford," the Chamber said in a statement.

The New Milford Chamber of Commerce also shared "The Tradition of the Trees" in downtown New Milford:

"The tradition of the trees on the Green was started by Walter Schutte in 1967 and the practice continues in his memory. The lights on the trees come alive with color on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Over the years, many people make a special detour on their way home from work or shopping to drive by the Green in the evenings to view the lights on the New Milford Green; while others make it a special place to visit with their young children and friends from out of town when the snow is softly falling and the trees are all aglow with many sparkling colors. Members of the New Milford United Methodist Men’s Club and other church members donate their time and effort to cut the trees down, place them on the Green, string the wires and the lights, and take them down shortly after New Year’s. Contributions for lights and other essentials help to keep this tradition alive. Donations may be made to the New Milford United Methodist Men Club, 68 Danbury Road, New Milford, CT 06776. The New Milford United Methodist Men’s Club also sells Christmas Trees at the church during the month of December. Funds raised help support local scholarships, mission projects and local community agencies."

For more information about the day's schedule of events, click here.

Photo by Stephen Butler via Flickr Creative Commons