DALTON - The low height at which most of the ornaments hang on Dalton's Christmas tree speaks to the most enthusiastic of the annual tradition's patrons - the children.
"The parents get a big kick when their kids hang their homemade ornaments at the bottom of the tree," said Gail Rees, president of the Dalton Business and Professional Association, the group responsible for the annual holiday ceremony. "It is pretty well decorated."
Nearly 100 people crowded the grass next to the Dalton Fire Company headquarters on Friday to hang ornaments, listen to Christmas music played by the Lackawanna Trail High School band and receive candy from Santa.
Dalton Mayor James Gray said the ceremony has been a tradition for decades, but time has neither diminished the ceremony nor taken it beyond its hometown roots.
"What I call it is something out of Norman Rockwell," Mr. Gray said. "It's a small town. When the place is lit up, it gives you a hometown feeling."
Dalton resident Kathy Dooley, 60, said she has been bringing her children, now in their 30s, since the ceremony's inception. The night has long since cemented itself as a family tradition with a lot of memories.
"It's a great community gathering," she said. "It's great for a small town to do this."
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