By BLAKE DESHAZO

The Selma Times-Journal

The holiday spirit will shine bright in the town of Orrville Friday when the townspeople light up the Christmas tree.

“We’re going to have the tree lighting downtown,” said Jewell Williamson, a member of the Orrville town council. “Then we’re going to the community center for our fellowship time.”

But this tradition hasn’t been around for long. It was started just a few years ago.

“We wanted to have a community Christmas tree lighting for many years, and about four years ago we made it happen,” Williamson said.

After a lot of planning by the town council, what was dreamt of for so many years finally came to fruition.

“This was a dream and something that we’ve wanted for a long time, and we saw it come together,” Williamson said. “It’s just something that our whole community loves.”

Since those lights shined for the first time a few years ago, the lighting of the Christmas tree in Orrville has become more than it was ever intended to be.

“Our intentions at first were to just have hot chocolate. But then we brought different things there, and everyone came together,” Williamson said. “It was just a huge success, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

Along with the lighting of the tree, the townspeople will also sing Christmas carols and enjoy holiday sweets.

“It gives us a chance to share recipes that we have and enjoy each other,” Williamson said.

While the lights and holiday treats keep people satisfied, the fellowship is what continues to bring people back year after year.

“It’s just a time when we see people that we don’t see a lot of places,” Williamson said.

“It’s a very diverse group and it gives us a chance to get to know people.”

This year’s lighting ceremony was set to feature a tree grown by the town of Orrville, but it was damaged in a storm and was cut down.

A large tree is being brought in for the lighting, but next year they hope to have their own. A small one was recently planted in downtown Orrville in hopes of being ready for next year’s ceremony.

The lighting of the Christmas tree will be held on Friday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. in downtown Orrville.