LOCAL

Nearly 1,000 crowd Erie's Perry Square for annual Downtown D'Lights festival

Erie Times-News

Nearly 1,000 people turned up their collars to a gusty Friday night in Perry Square to enjoy the annual Downtown D'Lights and kick off the holiday season.

Downtown D'Lights, sponsored by UPMC Health Plan, featured the lighting of Erie's 35-foot-tall Christmas tree adorned with more than 4,800 colored LED lights.

Nearly 1,000 people came out to watch Erie's Christmas tree light up Friday during Downtown D'Lights.

Keith Montigny, of Erie, said this was the first D'lights that he and his sons, Jack, 7, and Henry, 3, had attended. He said it was a chance to do something new and different with his kids.

"They're getting to that age where it's very magical now and they're really getting into Christmas, so any opportunity is going to be pretty cool," Montigny said.

Keith Montigny, of Erie, with his sons Jack, 7, left, and Henry, 3, during their first Downtown D'Lights on Friday.

In addition to admiring Perry Square's festive holiday lights, festival-goers rode on a horse-drawn carriage, ice skated in the newly added Downtown Erie Community Skating Rink and took photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

In west Perry Square, the Holiday Village shops saw lots of traffic, especially Werner Books. Husband-and-wife co-owners Kyle Churman and Lauren Shoemaker passed out a free holiday book called "Christmas Tree" by David Martin.

"Gayle Werner, our founder, started this a couple years ago and we decided to continue the legacy of handing books out at Christmas time," Churman said.

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Churman purchased 400 books to give out at the festival and expected to pass them all out by the end of the night.

Festivities expanded outside of Perry Square at the Experience Children's Museum, where the public could meet with Rudolph the reindeer from Apthorp Farms. First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant showcased eight large, artisan Nativity scenes created by Dr. Michael DeSanctis. The open house was accompanied by the church's bell choir, who played familiar holiday tunes.

Rudolph the reindeer, from Apthorp Farms, was outside the Experience Children's Museum during Downtown D'Lights on Friday.

Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or bdemuth@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter@BayleeDeMuth.