Area students help kick off the start of the holiday season during the City of New Philadelphia's 2018 Holiday Lighting Ceremony. (City of New Philadelphia)

NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - The City of New Philadelphia is lighting up the town to get everyone in the holiday spirit.

The city has its annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony tonight at 6 pm. Rick Arredondo of the New Philadelphia Business and Community Association says they’ll have fun and entertainment, and downtown shops will be offering specials.

“We have our annual Christmas light ceremony over in the quadrant where the gazebo, and there’s been a lot of work put into the coordination. I want to thank Mary Ann Otte for her efforts and organizing some really cool stuff,” he says.

Arredondo says it’s become a tradition to start the holiday season sooner rather than later…

“It is probably an early start but also remember that with Thanksgiving being a week there’s probably less shopping days if you count from Thanksgiving to Christmas in 2019," he says. 

Tonight’s lighting ceremony will also have the Kent State Tuscarawas Choir, Central Elementary third- and fourth-graders participating and also the Broadway United Methodist Church Choir.  

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