Christmas Tree Lighting in Richmond Hill 2020

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Christmas in Richmond Hill, Queens, was officially launched on Sunday December 6, 2020 when the Richmond Hill-South Ozone Park Lions Club (RHSOP) hosted its second annual Xmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Triangle located at 133rd Street and Liberty Avenue.

In a bold move to spice up the Christmas season in the Queens community, the Lions organized the first Xmas Tree Lighting in Richmond Hill in 2019 That was a grand and successful event that fired the Holiday Spirit of the community.

This year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lions erected a bigger tree that is more than 20 feet high and beautifully decorated with colorful lights. As the DJ belted out popular Xmas tunes, the gathering of residents, 100 percent masked, greeted one another in the Christmassy mood that filled the atmosphere, in the Xmas Triangle cordoned off by ranks of the NYPD’s 106th Pct. This event was initially scheduled to take place the day before on Saturday December 5, 2020, but the rain and storms predicted for Saturday caused the organizers to reschedule to Sunday, when the weather conditions were expected to be better.

It proved to be a great decision and the crowd of jubilant residents who turned up enjoyed every minute of the event.The evening began with prayers led by Pastor Beeram of the Community Wesleyan Church, followed by Democratic District Leader Richard David, himself a member Lion, who brought greetings and spoke of the impact of an uplifting event as the Tree Lighting against the backdrop of the ravages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chair of Queens Community Board 9, Kenichi Wilson, was also present at the event and commended the RHSOP Lions for bringing holiday joy and cheer to the residents in this special way. City council member, Adrienne Adams, addressed the gathering and thanked the RHSOP Lions for bringing a public Tree Lighting event to Queens. At this time of the pandemic’s devastation, the spirit of Christmas will accelerate the healing, physical and emotional, in our society. Ms. Adams spoke poignantly about losing a parent to the virus and extended condolences to all those who have lost family and friends to it. She was followed by freshly minted Assemblyman, Khalil Anderson, who also brought greetings to the gathering and thanked the RHSOP Lions for their service in the community. And then it was time for the main event! The countdown was led by an enthusiastic contingent of young residents before Lion President, Romeo Hitlall, threw the switch to light up the Tree, and Richmond Hill.

This immediately brought forth an out pour of oohs and aahs, as the beautiful Xmas Tree took form in the darkness of the night. It will continue to stand imposingly at the Triangle until January 6th, 2021 and will represent for us a symbol of the season of Christmas, a time for giving and sharing, and Joy to the world! The RHSOP Lions wish to thank the officers of the NYPD’s 106th Precinct for securing the area, and Six Stars Auto Sales for providing electrical power for the duration of the light up.

The event was covered by several media houses including Ms. Jennifer Jabar from the Guyanese Diaspora News, The West Indian Newspaper, Little Guyana – 592 News and many other local news, and the Club wishes to record its thanks and appreciation for the coverage.

The Tree will be light from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am every evening until January 6th, 2021.