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Arts & Entertainment

Brookhaven Town's Christmas Tree Lit

Songs, dance and hot chocolate welcome Santa to Independence Hill.

There's something special about a Christmas tree.  Its decorations and lights always point us upward to its shining top, reminding a troubled world that there's always hope, and our lives stand a chance of improving in the approaching new year.

So it is on Farmingville's Independence Hill where the Brookhaven Town Christmas tree was lit last weekend amid much festivity.  There was plenty of hot chocolate provided and both Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch were to be seen mingling with the crows and posing for photos with some the youngsters. 

Many of those young people were also enjoying the candy canes that seemed to be everywhere. The evening began with performances from youthful choruses, soloists and dancers who set a joyful tone that was sustained throughout the evening.

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The William Floyd High School choir, under the leadership of Camilla Osman, proved that it is, indeed, possible to sing outdoors when the temperatures drop.  They provided some rich harmonies to some beloved holiday music. They are truly a talented group.

Following the choir were the Michelle Ferraro Dancers of Coram.  The troupe consisted of children who were slightly more than toddlers, dressed in adorable velvet and white outfits, to more mature teens.  Impressively, there were several male teens among them and they performed admirably. One doesn't get to see too many young males performing as dancers.

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When Josh Fetter-Murphy was asked about how he joined the troupe, he explained that he'd been at it since he was 10 years old. 

"I wanted to get involved in break dancing and I've been hooked ever since," he said.

Talent contest winners Rachel Hanker and Stephanie Eso contributed outstanding renditions of "Silent Night" and "The Christmas Song," respectively, and received huge and well-deserved applause for their efforts.

The evening's emcee, Paulette Brinka, confided that one could never predict what Rocky Point High School's Singin' Santas would come up with. The group then captivated the crowd with several buoyant tunes, most notably that immortal classic "Dominick The Italian Donkey." This large and enthusiastic group of teens had many adults dancing to their beat in front of Town Hall.

Before Santa arrived, Town Supervisor Mark Lesko encouraged those in attendance not to forget the less fortunate at this time of the year and suggested contributions to "Toys for Tots" and "Long Island Harvest," among other charities.

Finally Santa made his entrance on one of the Farmingville Fire Departments shiniest trucks and hopped up on the showmobile to light the living Christmas tree.  This year the tree was surrounded by a lighted yellow ribbon to remember those who are serving abroad in the armed forces.

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