Athens Celebrates Christmas With Tree Lighting And Shopping With A Firefighter

ATHENS-Santa’s elves have been busy in Athens. Tonight, a park committee, youth group and high school band are helping provide Christmas cheer. The annual Lincoln-Bridgeforth Tree Lighting will be at 5:30 p.m. at the park on Westview off Hine Street. After the tree lighting, children will gather with Santa at the neigboring Pincham-Lincoln Center (Trinity site) for snacks and to receive a gift. These are children submitted by the community because their families need a little help from Santa’s Limestone County elves. Each child will receive a gift, and there will be a drawing to give away multiple bicycles. The event is organized by the Lincoln-Bridgeforth Park Committee. The Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission is volunteering to assist, and the East Limestone Band collected 120 toys and 12 bicycles at its Christmas concert Monday night to help support the event.

On Thursday, Athens Fire and Rescue Auxiliary will have its annual  Shop with a Firefighter at Walmart in Athens. About 60 kids will receive $150 each to shop for toys, clothes, personal hygeine items, etc. I have a request pending from Walmart Corporate to allow media to cover the story. The families will start getting organized at 5:30 p.m. I will keep you updated regarding approval. You will have to get parental/guardian permission to use any child’s image or name. THANKS!