At Mark Twain, the students buzz with excitement as we rehearse each song. The Governor and the First Lady will assist Santa in lighting the newly decorated downtown.Ĭhristina Bourne, Music Educator at Mark Twain Elementary, has coordinated the musical portion of the festival for years and states, 'The annual tree lighting is one of my favorite events of the year. Not only will the student singers delight family, friends, neighbors, and the hundreds who come out to be thrilled by this hometown show, they also will be singing for Governor Steve Sisolak and First Lady Kathy Sisolak and Mayor Lori Bagwell and her husband Jim Bagwell. Above all else, it teaches these students the value of community and giving back to our town.' It's great to see these students share this experience with each other. We make games to memorize the words, and overall, we just have a really fun time together. we fall in the trap of skipping Thanksgiving! Immediately after Halloween, we get started on these songs in class. It's a tradition that their siblings and friends have been a part of in previous years, which builds their excitement even more. The music teachers from the various schools have been teaching the classic holiday songs to students since early November in preparation for the big night on December 3rd.įritsch Elementary School Music Teacher Nicole Witkowski sums up the student experience: 'Fritsch students look forward to Tree Lighting every year. Also participating will be students from Bethlehem Lutheran and Saint Teresa of Avila. Over 300 students from the six Carson City elementary schools to include Bordewich-Bray, Empire, Fremont, Fritsch, Mark Twain, and Seeliger, will be participating. Singing in the festival has been a fifth-grade “rite of passage” to the sixth grade, although the fifth grade class of 2020 was not able to sing due to Covid restrictions that cancelled the 2020 event. Some downtown merchants open to serve refreshments.Īs they have since 1988, Carson’s fifth graders take center stage annually in front of the Nevada State Capitol to usher in the holiday season at the Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights. – Cookies, Hot Chocolate, Coffee in front of City Hall along with photo ops with Santa and the Grinch, the Mayor, and Miss Carson City.

– The downtown is lit by Governor Steve Sisolak and First Lady Kathy Sisolak and Mayor Lori Bagwell and Jim BagwellĦ:15 p.m. Borges free electric carriage ridesĦ:15 p.m. Carson’s Fifth Graders perform in front of the CapitolĤ:15 p.m.

Hawaii music educators association