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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 345-03
December 2, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG HOSTS 90th ANNUAL HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY IN CITY HALL PARK

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Elf co-star Daniel Tay and teens from the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) Peer Leadership Council tonight lit the City Hall Holiday Tree located in City Hall Park. This tradition began on December 24, 1913, when then acting Mayor Ardolph Kline invited a young boy to help him light the first Christmas tree at City Hall. Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, ACS Commissioner William C. Bell, NYCHA Chairman Tino Hernandez and Target representative Phil Crable also attended the tree lighting ceremony. 

"There is really no place like New York City during the holidays," said Mayor Bloomberg. "No place can match the excitement on our streets, our dazzling store windows or the perennial favorite holiday shows and concerts that are going on everywhere, from Radio City Music Hall to neighborhood church basements.  New Yorkers really have a lot to celebrate this year also - especially right here in Lower Manhattan. We've been through some difficult times, and because we've pulled together, and looked out for one another, our future is getting brighter each day.   Happy Holidays."

Target donated $35,000 to sponsor holiday the decorations in City Hall Park as well as in Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx and Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, which will be in place through February. The Department of Parks & Recreation designed the festive display of plantings in the Mould Fountain of City Hall Park.  New Yorkers will enjoy a selection of winter plants decorating the fountain, with greenery including red dogwood, juniper, boxwood, spruce (known as Christmas trees), and white birch.  Over 450 ornaments will hang from the display, created by students from downtown schools P.S. 1, P.S. 42, P.S. 234, and by children participating in free after school programs at Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center, Carmine Recreation Center, Hamilton Fish Recreation Center, 59th Street Recreation Center, Morningside Park Recreation Center, Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center, and Highbridge Recreation Center.  White lights will brighten up the display and boughs will adorn light poles and the entrance to City Hall.  Parks & Recreation's team for the display included Manhattan Chief of Operations Namshik Yoon, Deputy Chiefs of Operations Margaret Peeler and Larry Scoones, Manhattan Chief of Forestry Bill Steyer, Parks Manager Danny Mercado, and Gardener Richard Hauglin.

During the program, attendees sipped hot chocolate and ate donuts, generously donated by the Riese Organization, while the New York City Housing Authority Youth Choir provided musical entertainment. 

City Hall Park has played a key role in New York civic life for centuries from its Colonial beginnings as a rebel outpost to its current function as the seat of City government. In 1999 a $39.2 million project fully restored the park, adding a central walkway and gardens and replacing pavement with grass and trees. The Mould Fountain with its original granite base was returned to the park with a reconstructed centerpiece and lighting fixtures and a circular tablet at the southern end of the park was added to educate visitors about the history of the site.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Robert Lawson   (212) 788-2958

Megan Sheekey   (Parks)
(212) 360-1311




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