Sabba Park lighting (source: Luke Adams)
Dec. 3, 2011 Staff Report
There were two Holiday lightings in the past week.
The first was the traditional annual tree lighting on Tuesday at Sabba Park (50th Street and Queens Boulevard) put on by the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, while the second was a snappier event on Skillman Ave. on Thursday.
The Tuesday event at Sabba Park was a wet and windy occasion, where most of the 80 attendees were forced to bring umbrellas and wear thick jackets. However, the festive spirit was not lost—as the Sunnyside Drum Corp beat their drums by the tree, the YMCH Choir sang Christmas carols and Father Brian Dowd, of Queen of Angels Roman Catholic church, said a prayer.
On Thursday more than 200 people arrived on Skillman Ave. (50th Street) to celebrate the second annual lighting of festive snowflakes hung from lampposts along Skillman Avenue. This year the snowflakes are on display from 43rd to 53rd Streets, which is an expansion of four additional blocks from last year—when they went from 45th to 51st Streets.
This year’s ceremony featured a variety of live performances from renowned singer Paul Byrom, the Sunnyside Drum Corps. and the Queen of Angels Choir. Hot cocoa and cider were provided by Aubergine Café. The grand finale came when Santa Claus pulled up to the event in a police car.
“The energy and spirit at this year’s [Skillman Ave.] Holiday Lighting celebration were incredible with people of all ages coming together to celebrate the holiday season,” said council man Jimmy Van Bramer, who was able to allocate funding for the event through the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce.
“This was bigger and better than last year,” said Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce President Becky Barker. “It was outstanding that we had so many elected officials and talented performers. Anything we can do to partner and bring events like this to the Sunnyside/Woodside neighborhood is always gratifying.”
