The Westport community gathered at Town Hall as they have for many years to enjoy the well-loved annual tradition of lighting the Westport Town Hall Christmas tree last night. A large crowd of 150 or more Westporters and area residents joined for the festivities.

Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

First Selectwoman Jen Tooker gave remarks on the spirit of the season in this welcoming community which values inclusion and acceptance of all it’s residents and visitors. She also noted the efforts of the Westport DPW in getting the tree ready for the big moment, which takes the entire day to accomplish. The nearly 50 foot tree is out of reach for the town bucket truck so the town has contracted with The Davey Tree Expert Company for the last several years which brings a pair of very tall bucket trucks enabling them to wrap the approximately 3500 LED lights around the tree, in the day-long project.

When the big moment arrived Ms. Tooker invited children, parents and grandparents (above, center) from the crowd to help with the countdown.

Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

As always, Staples High School’s legendary Ophenians provided the entertainment and began the event by performing several holiday favorites.

The acclaimed forty-member strong a cappella group this year was led by Staples High School’s new choral director, Lauren Pine. They opened with Deck The Halls, followed by Joy Shall Be Yours In The Morning, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, closing with everyone’s favorite, Jingle Bells.

Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

About The Staples Orphenians:

Founded by Dr. George Weigle in 1958, the Orphenians have been the premiere vocal ensemble in Westport for more than six decades. Over those many years, the Orphenians have performed across the globe; including nearly every country in Europe, the United State's West Coast, Australia and most recently Hawaii (summer of 2023).  Under the direction of Lauren Pine, this year's ensemble consists of 40 auditioned students ranging from 9th to 12th grade. Known for their many holiday performances throughout the town of Westport, they have become an integral part of the local community during the holiday season and year round. In fact, after this performance, the group went home to change into their formal wear to join the Dartmouth Brovertones, led by Sam Laskin, Staples 2020 graduate and a President of the Staples Players in a special holiday concert at Saugatuck Congregational Church.

First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, nicely decorated with her Christmas lights necklace was joined by Selectwoman Candace Savin (L), second selectwoman Andrea Moore, and former First Selectman Jim Marpe who had hosted this cherished event for years.

Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The glowing lighted tree delighted the children and was a perfect backdrop for family photos.

After the twinkling tree lights were glowing against the night sky, the Westport Museum For History And Culture across the street invited the audience to their ornament making event (see article below) and for hot chocolate to warm up their guests.

Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.