Press Releases
Cannery Row to Host First Christmas Tree Lighting of the Season
MONTEREY, Calif.- The public is invited to usher in the holiday season as Cannery Row hosts its 7th annual Cannery Row Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. The celebration, to be held Friday, November 23, 2001, at Steinbeck Plaza at 6:00pm in the evening, marks the Monterey Peninsula's first Christmas tree lighting event of the season. The courtyard in front of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company will be transformed for the event into a stunningly decorated, snow-covered, winter-wonderland.
Festivities will begin with welcoming messages by Ted Balestreri, managing general partner of the Cannery Row Company; Monterey Mayor Dan Albert; and Cannery Row business owner, Kalisa Moore. A performance by Christmas carolers from Joyful Tidings Caroling Company and an appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus will fill the evening with holiday cheer. The ceremony will climax with the official lighting of the 25-foot Christmas tree, centered prominently amid this fantastical, ocean-side, holiday setting.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are expected to arrive shortly after the lighting of the Christmas tree, making their grand entrance aboard a horse-drawn wagon. After their arrival, Santa Claus will be available to pose with children for free photos.The Cannery Row Christmas Tree Lighting festivities, warmly regarded as a favorite local tradition, are made possible each year by the Cannery Row Marketing Council.
About Cannery Row
Cannery Row was made famous in John Steinbeck's classic novel depicting life in the "the sardine capital of the world." Today, Cannery Row is a beautiful waterfront playground where visitors from all over the world seek a California getaway as authentic as the coast itself. Cannery Row was named “One of the Seven Wonders of Monterey County” by the Monterey County Herald readers. Cannery Row remains a treasure of California's Central Coast, where a discovery awaits every type of visitor. For more information, visit the official Cannery Row website at www.canneryrow.com.