Roseville tree lighting brought a crowd of thousands

The city of Roseville hosted its annual Christmas Tree Lighting the night of Dec. 1 in Vernon Street Town Square at 311 Vernon St. Despite the heavy rain earlier that day, residents and visitors still came to watch as the large Christmas Tree's lights shined brightly in the night. The crowd packed together in Vernon Street Town Square at 6 p.m. and waited for the tree lighting ceremony to begin. Notable television producer Mark S. Allen excitedly introduced Roseville Mayor Krista Bernasconi to the podium once the ceremony began. Bernasconi was "thrilled" that the rain cleared up just in time for the tree lighting, since the annual lighting is a "demonstration of how special Roseville is." The tree is made from "energy-saving LED lights provided by Roseville Electric," Mayor Bernasconi said. The tree's blue lights represent Project Bluelight, according to Bernasconi. Project Bluelight is an initiative to honor local law enforcement by encouraging residents to show their support for law enforcement by changing their porch lights to a blue light. Before the tree could be lit, Santa Claus made a special appearance and said that visiting Roseville is a "highlight" of his holiday season. After the countdown to light the tree, the tree burst with colorful light and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" was played. Pretend snow fell in Vernon Street Town Square, thanks to a bubble machine. As holiday music continued playing throughout Vernon Street Town Square, families had plenty to see together. One of the highlights for the children was meeting Santa Claus. Families lined up out the doors of the Civic Center to meet Santa and take photos to make the memories last. Some Disney character favorites also made an appearance at the tree lighting. Cinderella and Prince Charming took photos by the Christmas tree with the children, while Woody and Bo Peep were at the Vernon Street Town Square stage. Adults were also excited to meet some of their favorite "Star Wars" characters walking around the square. Kylo Ren, a Jawa and a Stormtroopers crew took photos with guests, despite being from the Dark Side. Even villains have Christmas spirit! Down Vernon Street, vendors were selling holiday wares, including light-up toys, which was fitting considering how the square already was decorated with lights. Vendors also sold handmade gifts, including winter hats and gloves, soaps, body butters and bath bombs. Families also walked around and saw the decorated trees of Vernon Street, which were decorated on Nov. 30 as part of the 10th annual Tree Grove festivities. The trees were decorated by local businesses, organizations and schools. In the Civic Center, gingerbread houses were on display for the Gingerbread House Contest. The houses showed the creativity of families and organizations to make a creation almost completely edible. Want to see the Gingerbread Houses? The city of Roseville has photos of the entries online. You can vote for your favorite houses at https://www.roseville.ca.us/residents/city_events/downtown_holiday_celebration.