The official tree lighting ceremony for Tinsel Trail on the Avenue was held Saturday evening at Levitt Park on Cumberland Avenue.

Middlesboro Mayor Boone Bowling welcomed everyone to the ceremony.

“I just want to say how unreal it is to see what kind of community support this event has gotten. In an era when a lot of times it’s hard to get people to come out and be a part of something, you’re seeing hundreds of people come out to be a part of something,” he said. “That’s an awesome thing and it says a lot about the wonderful work these two ladies have done. Thank you all so much for coming to be a part of this.”

Organizers Jane Cambron and Mindy Sanders joined Bowling in leading the count down to turning on the lights.

“This has been a month-long journey for the two of us — really six months, but we’ve been out here every night for about a month,” Cambron said. “We wanted to put on something for the community. This was absolutely and positively the vision of this young lady right here, Mindy Sanders. I’ve just been along for the ride and what a ride it’s been.”

She said there were 58 sponsors this year, up from 43 last year.

The afternoon began with ornament coloring for kids and a community choir took the stage just before the lighting to sing “Oh Christmas Tree!” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain.”

Santa and the Grinch were on hand for photos and the community is welcome to use the decorations for photo backdrops. There is also a special mailbox on the lot for kids to drop off their letters to Santa.

Folks could use a ticket to vote for their favorite tree Saturday evening and the Tinsel Trail on the Avenue Facebook page has a link for people to vote for their favorites as well. The winners will be announced at a later date.