Santa heads to Luling to help with Christmas tree lighting

School choirs, hot chocolate, and most importantly, Santa, will all be at the West Bank Bridge Park on Nov. 29 as the parish ushers in the holiday season with the annual Christmas tree lighting.

The event, sponsored by the Rotary Club of St. Charles Parish, is being held in November in order to showcase more school choirs. The Harry Hurst Middle School choir will kick off the event at 5:45 p.m. and will be followed by choirs from St. Rose Elementary and Mimosa Park Elementary.

At 6:30 p.m. the Allemands Elementary Cajun Dancers will put on a performance and fifteen minutes later the big man himself is expected to make his appearance on board a fire truck.

Santa has a bag full of goodies for the kids and will walk through the crowd and pose for pictures with children in attendance. Parents are asked to bring their own cameras to snap a picture of their children with Santa.

The tree will be lit at 6:45 p.m.

Those not meeting with Santa will be serenaded by the Albert Cammon Middle School carolers followed by the Lakewood Elementary School choir.

The Hahnville High School women’s varsity choir will close out the festivities at 7:30 p.m.

During the event, the American Red Cross will serve hot chocolate. Rotary also asks that residents bring a new, unwrapped toy to the tree lighting. The toys will be distributed to families in need at a local school holiday celebration

"It is a great opportunity to bring the community together to kick off the holiday season through song and dance," Shelly Schonekas, president of the Rotary Club, said. "In addition, we are able to celebrate the variety of talents that our performing groups bring to the event."