The city’s 35th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony sponsored by Vineyard Park, attracted a crowd of over 700 Mountlake Terrace residents and visitors. Participants sang carols to usher in the holiday season on Friday evening December 1.
The event featured the Mountlake Terrace Elementary, Terrace Park School and MLT High School Choirs singing carols, a water tower tree lighting, along with a unique visit from Santa, who made his grand entrance on a bright red South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Fire Truck. Santa stayed and met with the children while parents took photos and visited with neighbors. A dedicated group of Tour de Terrace volunteers was on hand to serve cookies, hot coffee, and cocoa. Darigold was also present at the event to give out free samples of eggnog.
Mountlake Terrace Recreation Kids Krew member, Audree Waters turned on the lights from a special remote control switch located at Evergreen Playfield to the “tree” which is located on top of the city’s water tower and visible for miles around. The enormous "tree" is actually a frame constructed of over 1,800 blue and green LED lights.
About $230 in cash donations was collected for the Michelle Ringler Recreation Scholarship Fund and the Manu Sood Mountlake Terrace Arts Commission Scholarship. Since 2002, the Recreation Fund has helped over 400 children register for recreation programs at the Mountlake Terrace Recreation Pavilion. The Manu Sood scholarship supports an annual scholarship targeted for arts students at Mountlake Terrace High School.