Rice Park lights up for the holidays

On November 10, Mayor Melvin Carter and the City of St. Paul celebrated the annual lighting ceremony for The Salvation Army “Tree of Lights” in Rice Park. The “Tree of Lights” stands 40 feet tall and features more than 25,000 lights. 

This year’s event featured performances by the St. Paul Police Band Drumline, Billboard chart-topping singer Jovonta Patton and “The Voice” finalist Kat Perkins, as well as an appearance by former Vikings star and NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter. Children from the audience were invited up on stage to help throw the switch and light the tree and Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand to celebrate.

The ceremony marked The Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Kick-Off, when their kettles and bell-ringers hit store entrances and street corners to collect funds for Salvation Army feeding and housing programs in the Twin Cities.