Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Rochester kicks off holiday season
By Dawn Pauli, staff writer
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| OU students march in last year's Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade. |
Golden Grizzlies spirit will be on display during the annual Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade Sunday, Dec. 2. The parade theme is “Celebrating Christmas Past, Present and Future,” and will feature the Grizz, the OU dance and cheer teams, OU Spirit Squad, and the official Golden Grizzlies car, along with more than 130 high school marching bands and floats and, of course, Santa Claus.
This year’s parade will begin at 1:45 p.m. The parade route begins at the corner of Rochester and Tienken, continues along Main Street to Third Street. The parade is televised live on WXYX-TV Channel 7. Men’s basketball coach Greg Kampe will be interviewed live on the parade route by a Channel 7 reporter.
One hundred Oakland University faculty, staff and OUAA members snapped up tickets for the OU bleacher section in November.
“We are looking forward to the parade this year and are pleased we could offer the OU family the opportunity to sit in a special section,” said Susan Davies Goepp, vice president, University Relations. “Oakland University is a proud partner of the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the organizer of this wonderful parade.”
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| The Big, Bright Light Show illuminates Downtown Rochester Nov. 26 through Dec. 31. |
The Big, Bright Light Show grows brighter; debuts during Lagniappe
Downtown Rochester is expanding the Big, Bright Light Show this year to feature more than one million lights. The 2007 show hours are extended to 5 to 11 p.m. The Big, Bright Light Show will debut Monday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. during the 35th Annual Lagniappe celebration and will continue through Dec. 31.
The buildings of Main Street will be covered in lights from the South Bridge to University Drive. In addition, the buildings on Fourth Street from Walnut to Water will now have the “big, bright” effect.
Walnut Boulevard will be transformed into Candy Cane Lane and will feature large, lighted displays of giant toys including a jack-in-the-box, nutcracker soldier, rocking horse and many more.
The traditional Christmas Tree on University will now become the Dancing Tree of Lights, with lights covering every inch of the tree. The lights will “dance” in sync to music on the quarter hour.
The Western Knitting Mill on Water Street is home to the Snowflake Spectacular, a dazzling display of over 70 giant snowflakes that will flash to the beat of holiday music, every 15 minutes.
The Big, Bright Light Show is presented by Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, Chrysler LLC, The Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and the Rochester DDA. For more information, contact the Rochester DDA at (248) 656-0060 or www.DowntownRochesterMI.com.
The City of Rochester and Oakland formalized a partnership in 2003 to engage in student internship opportunities and community initiatives. The university has participated in events and activities in the city, which was named 39th in a list of the top 100 cities in which to live by Money Magazine and CNN Money.