A Beacon Of Joy And Holiday Cheer Returns With The Fort Greene Park Tree Lighting
BY MEGAN MCGIBNEY
The second annual Fort Greene Park holiday tree lighting festivities returned at dusk this Sunday, December 6, for an even larger celebration of community and fun. About 400 people, mostly young families, gathered at the corner of Washington and Myrtle to see the 22-foot tall Balsam tree be lit up to mark the holiday season.
“We’ve got two kids, and they wanted to see the tree lighting,” said Mike Rivera from Bed-Stuy. “The hot chocolate was good, too.”
Free hot cocoa was again provided by Castro’s Restaurant, along with cookies from Pushkin’s Creperie — repeat donations that are adding to the tradition of the event.
Another tradition? The tree was purchased from Myrtle Avenue Trees over at the Hall Street sidewalk tree shop!
This year, the Dr. Susan McKinney choir provided holiday caroling, singing such songs as “Silent Night.” There was also a booth were attendants to drop off toys for the Toys for Tots drive.
Local leaders and elected officials also greeted the crowd, with Councilmember Laurie Cumbo calling the gathering, “the Brooklyn I know and love” because of its diversity and Assemblymember Joseph Lentol singing “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”.
Julian Macrone, of co-host the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, thanked the crowd for help making the park “truly shine as a cultural jewel” during this past year. That sense of community, said Myrtle Avenue Business Partnership (MARP) Executive Director Meredith Phillips Almeida, exemplifies the fact that “this season is about love and giving, and bringing together neighbors.”
The holiday tree itself also represented the ongoing development and preservation of the Park — with a gorgeous green bulb-shaped ornament created out of broken glass salvaged and recycled from park cleanups now hanging on one of its boughs as an ornament.
Created by local artist Amanda Patenaude, who is also working on a community mosaic project using the nearly 100 pounds of broken glass dating from the 30s to the present day, the ornament teams up with the star to make the lit tree particularly festive.
“We started melting it down and blowing the glass into other shapes,” said Amanda Patenaude, who works at a studio in UrbanGlass. “We started the collaboration in April, and the artistry took place in the fall.”