Large turnout for South Lake Tahoe Christmas Tree lighting ceremony

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 7th annual Heavenly Village Tree Lighting was a huge success with a large crowd attending - organizers estimate thousands witnessed the lighting of the 65-foot tall fir tree.

Organizer and MC for the evening, Dreu Murin, welcomed the crowd to the evening's festivities which included incoming El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, Miss El Dorado County Carson Leikauf, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and South Lake Tahoe Police Department, and of course, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department arrived with lights and sirens going, escorting Santa who arrived on the new ladder truck as the crowd sang Santa Claus is Coming To Town. He and Mrs. Claus headed to the stage, welcoming the crowd as SLTFR Firefighter/Paramedic Leo Gebhardt climbed the ladder to light the tree, Santa led the crowd in a countdown to the official lighting.

Some other highlights:

Sheriff Leikauf thanked everyone for coming out to the event and spoke of his office's passion to serve the South Lake Tahoe community.

Kristen Brown, a Sacramento recording artist, put everyone in the holiday spirit by singing everyone's favorite Christmas carols along with a few originals.

The owner of Trans Sierra Investments / The Shops at Heavenly Village, Mrs. Claudia Casteel. Claudia is the wife of the late founder and developer of the project, Gary Casteel Sr., her daughter Adyson, and her son Cash thanked everyone for attending and being together for a community event. “Gary Sr. would have been so happy to see everyone here tonight celebrating in the Heavenly Village that brought him so much joy in creating,” she said.

Kenny Curtzweiler who coordinated the location and cutting of the tree for over seven years thanked Emerald Bay Associates, Robert Haen Construction, Ed Cook Crane, local law enforcement, and Murin for their support in bringing the community tree to its destination. “It’s definitely not an easy task.” Curtzweiler stated, “but it sure brings so much joy to the community."

Former City of South Lake Tahoe Mayor and current councilwoman, Tamara Wallace, went to the stage to thank the locals and visitors and wished them a Merry Christmas. “We appreciate our visitors and our locals immensely. It is so great to see everyone together tonight after the tough couple of years we have faced,” said Wallace.

The Heavenly Village tree lighting is the day after Thanksgiving every year and kicks off the Heavenly Holidays celebration brought to you by the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority - Visit South Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and the Tahoe Improvement District. For the entire event lineup which includes breakfast with Santa, stuff-a-bear, Ferris wheel, paint and sip, Disney characters, Santa Paws, ice sculptures, face painting as well as fireworks and the headlining free concert from the Gin Blossoms, visit www.visitsouthlaketahoe.com.

Murin thanked all for attending and shared his appreciation for Sheriff Leikauf and other law enforcement attending the event.