Sixty-two years ago, the Centralia Township High School auditorium was the first “home” of the Candlelight Christmas Concert. It was called the “Candlelight” concert due to the elementary school students parading down the aisles with battery-powered candles. Now, because City Hope Church has offered the beautifully restored Auditorium to the Centralia Cultural Society, the 62nd Holiday Festival Concert returns “home” for the first time since the high school left their Third Street campus in 2006.
The Centralia Philharmonic Orchestra, Centralia Choral Society, Kaskaskia College Concert Choir, Actors in Action and the Light & Lens Club will come together with holiday music, costumed characters and a photography exhibit to celebrate the season.
Activities begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 4, with the Phil’zHarmoniks string ensemble performing in the lobby and café where complimentary refreshments will be available for all concertgoers. At 3:00 p.m., the performance begins in the auditorium featuring holiday favorites including: O Holy Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, a chorus from Vivaldi’s Gloria, Silent Night and a selection of Christmas music from the movies Miracle on 34th Street, The Polar Express, Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas, among others. Costumed characters from Actors in Action will be sprinkled throughout the program. Admission to the concert is free.
City Hope Church is located at 1000 East Third Street in Centralia. Off-street parking, including handicapped parking, is available in the main lot accessible from Second Street as well as the auxiliary east parking lot which offers an enclosed pathway to the main lot. On-street parking is also available.
City Hope Church Auditorium is fully handicapped accessible. Sponsors for the Holiday Festival Concert on December 4 are: Maryann Langenfeld, Dr. Seth, and Leslie Hahs, Rebecca Carpenter Timmermann, Jackman’s Fabrics, and Peoples National Bank. The Centralia Business and Professional Women’s Club will be providing ushers and support for the event.
For additional information about the 62nd Holiday Festival Concert contact the Cultural Society office at (618)532-2951 or visit the orchestra’s website at CentraliaOrchestra.org.
