The island community is invited to head to the center of Hatteras village on Tuesday, December 3, to toast the start of the holiday season with a tree lighting in the village center at 5:30 p.m., followed by live music and a community dinner at the Hatteras Civic Center.

The official event may seem like a relatively new one for Hatteras village’s long roster of holiday-themed celebrations, but it has deep roots and ties to the Hatteras Village Fire Department.

“This is an old Hatteras tradition that we just needed to pay more attention to, and [revitalize],” says event organizer Karla Jarvis. “When we were growing up, the firemen would put the Christmas tree out – which was a collection of light strands formed into a triangle – and when they lit it, we all knew it was finally that Christmas time of year… So we wanted to pay homage to lighting the tree, and then host a community dinner afterward.”

The tree lighting will pay tribute to this legacy, and the tree will once again be comprised of strings of lights, which will stand in the village center. The tree lighting will also feature a sing-along, and is being held in honor of Mr. Hal Gray, one of the founding fathers of the Hatteras Village Fire Department.

Following the tree lighting, the community is invited to a celebratory dinner at the Hatteras Village Civic Center, which will feature the music of Clifford Swain, as well as holiday songs from Cape Hatteras Secondary School string and brass students, under the direction of Mr. Sean McCroskey.

The community dinner, (which is free for all attendees), features a tempting menu of roasted eye of round beef, chicken marsala, oven-roasted red potatoes and veggies, salad, and chocolate cobbler and mocha marbled loaf for dessert. The dinner begins immediately after the tree lighting ceremony. The event is sponsored by the Hatteras Village Civic Association.

For more information on the Hatteras Village Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Dinner, see https://www.facebook.com/HatterasVillage/.