Cumberland welcomes holidays with tree lighting
CUMBERLAND — Live music and holiday carols echoed throughout Cumberland Friday evening.
Snow flurries fell throughout Historic City Center as Cumberland kicked off the holiday season with its annual tree lighting ceremony.
Hundreds gathered at the intersection of Baltimore and Liberty streets to see the tree illuminated for the season.
The return of the ceremony to Baltimore Street after an 18-month renovation project brought plenty of residents out and about in the cold weather. Last year’s ceremony was held at Canal Place.
Allegany County Tourism described the scene as a “Hallmark movie.”
Many of the new downtown businesses saw plenty of increased foot traffic an exposure during the buzz of Black Friday, which continued well past the tree lighting ceremony.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus were in attendance for the celebration, spreading joy for kids and parents alike. Also tagging along was Jack Frost.
Melinda Kelleher, executive director of Cumberland’s Downtown Development Commission, said that having the festival back in the Historic City Center was the best way to highlight the new downtown.
“The events will highlight our new downtown with parking on Baltimore Street and many new shops,” she said.
Kelleher’s favorite part of the celebration, though, was the actual tree lighting.
“It’s magical,” she said. This year, the tree was donated by Tom and Carolyn Mathews, owners of the Intown Tree Farm.
The tree was grown locally, as the seeds were planted by an AP Environmental Science class from Allegany High School in 2005.
Since then, the tree has grown into an immense, towering size.
The Mathews family owned a popular tree lot that was located on Frederick Street in the 1990s and early 2000s.
It’s a 20-year-old Concolor fir, and was located on a property off Bedford Street owned by the Mathews’ family.
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