“My girls brought me out here,” said Barbara Meeks, sitting on the bench on Saturday under the giant Christmas tree in the middle of CCB Plaza, bundled against the cold alongside her girlfriends. They had spent the day anticipating the tree lighting. “We even had mimosas,” said Meeks’ friend Charlene Taylor, laughing. “I’m loving this.”
As they spoke, kids dashed around with light-up wands and homemade ornaments created at nearby craft booths. Scattered markers, wooden ornaments, and admiring parents filled the decorating stations on the perimeter of the plaza. Three-year-old Y-hoshua Mejin was painting his wooden ornament dark green. When asked his favorite color, he grinned. “This one,” he said, pointing proudly to his ornament.
As children lined up to speak to Santa, a group of girls from Empower School of Movement performed onstage to the tune of “When Christmas Comes To Town,” passing gifts to each other as a part of their routine.
Dogs meandered through the crowd, showing off their festive sweaters. One dog, Lexie, had just won the ugly sweater contest at The Flying Bull. Her owner, Angie Shroyer, gleamed as people took photos. “Of course we’re matching,” she said, pointing to her own red and white sweater.
Bluesy Christmas classics began radiating from the stage. Four older men in tacky Christmas sweaters and dark trench coats were singing. “You guys didn’t know we had The Temptations in Durham,” said announcer Jatovi McDuffie, laughing. Normally, McDuffie announces for Durham Bulls games, but he was happy to be a part of Saturday’s celebration. “Give it up for the Loverboys,” yelled McDuffie as the quartet wrapped up its set.
Afterwards, the four men huddled together offstage, proudly sporting sweaters featuring cartoon bulls wearing sunglasses. One veteran member, Andy “Pete” Peterson, has been singing for over 50 years. “I’ve been singing my whole life,” he said. “I was a kid when I sang ‘See You In September’ by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.” A newer member, Les Webb, joined five years ago. “I’m originally from Long Island,” he said. “But I love being here.”
Among the various booths set up around the tree was one with a sign that read, “Free Puns!” “What do trees and dogs have in common? They both have a lot of bark,” said one member of Mettlesome, a Durham theater group. Meredith Biechele, another group member, smiled as she dished out jokes and puns for passerbys. “It’s amazing seeing the whole town come together,” she said. “We are just here to spread some laughter.”
Storefronts surrounding the plaza displayed “Weird Windows,” artists’ take on holiday window displays, curated by Weird Productions. In one window near the visitor center, a mannequin was dressed in a construction paper dress, fitted with a top hat, and surrounded with construction paper gifts and stars. Another window close to the plaza displayed decorated mannequin arms strung above a small Christmas town.
Between the performances, DJ Brian Dawson played Christmas classics and dance songs like “Love Train” and “The Cupid Shuffle.” If anything, the cold night made visitors dance more. Young kids gathered before the stage and jumped around while their parents danced with them.
Rissi Palmer, a singer from Raleigh, took the stage to sing Christmas classics just before the lighting of the tree. She welcomed those at the event and those who couldn’t make it. The Saturday celebration was originally scheduled for Nov. 21, but was delayed due to the presence of federal immigration enforcement officers across the Triangle that week.
Finally, members from the City Council joined the stage. “This is the best city in the world,” shouted Mayor Leonardo Williams before he started counting down from ten.
The crowd watched the 30-foot tree light up. Faces glowed under the bright lights as council members joined a choir in singing classic Christmas songs. The sounds of carols could still be heard as people shuffled away from the plaza. Some lingered, admiring the white lights.
Pictured at top: Children confer with Santa at Durham’s annual tree lighting celebration on Saturday. Photo by Reece MacKinney — The 9th Street Journal
