The official lighter for Hopkinsville’s community Christmas tree is 11-year-old Zach Boyd, a South Christian resident who is undergoing cancer treatment.
The lighting ceremony will be at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at Founders Square downtown. Zach was chosen from nominations submitted through social media, Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tab Brockman said in a press release.
Zach was diagnosed in March with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that most often occurs in children and young adults.
“We’re all excited,” Zach’s mother, Laurel Lunte said in the release from the city. “Lighting the community Christmas tree is obviously something that we’ve not done before. We are all honored that Zach was selected. With everything he has been through, it’s good to have him experience some joy. It will be incredible for him.”
Brockman added that Zach “has been a true warrior during his treatment regimen and exemplifies the spirit of hope for the Christmas season.”
The boy’s family created a Facebook page to share information about his progress through treatment.
A live Leyland cypress tree in Little River Park adjacent to Founders Square will be the community Christmas tree. The city planted the tree in 2016 with the intention of eventually making it the official holiday tree. Now 22 feet tall, it will be decorated with more than 2,200 lights.
Zach will flip the switch lighting the tree after a reading of the Christmas story and singing.
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For several years, the city has conducted the lighting ceremony the night before the Christmas parade. This year’s parade will start at 5:15 p.m. Saturday on Main Street. The parade will have 21 floats and other participants stretching a mile long, according to the press release.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
