The Milpas Street community came together Monday night to celebrate the holiday season with a tree-lighting ceremony at the Santa Barbara Plaza.
It’s the third annual ceremony, and this year’s large tree was donated by Toddy’s Christmas Trees at 1122 Milpas St.
Event co-founders Rose Aldana and Bea Molina organized a plethora of local business sponsors for the reception, which took place in front of the Trader Joe’s and Rite-Aid.
Residents stopped by to enjoy food and drink, in addition to the musical stylings of retired Santa Barbara police officer David Gonzales and the Franklin Elementary School Rockers.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown, who filled in for Andy Granatelli as the grand marshal, said the community event shows the rewards of putting more effort into goodwill.
The event was also a benefit for the American Red Cross, which accepted donations for its Disaster Relief Fund and Hurricane Sandy victims.
Milpas Street is already lined with holiday lights, after a community effort to find funding, according to Sharon Byrne of the Milpas Community Association and the Santa Barbara View.
The 59th Milpas Holiday Parade is scheduled for 11 a.m. Dec. 15.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.