Okay, everyone, hello.

Can I have your attention?

Hello, hello.

Woo!

All right, it's a great night, and I'm glad to welcome you all here to Memorial Plaza in downtown New Rochelle for our holiday lighting.

Woo!

Thanks so much for coming out.

And we are here today to celebrate all of the different holidays in December.

I'm Catherine White with the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, and we have a number of people I'd like to introduce, but because it's a little chaotic, it may not be in total order.

But to begin with, I'd love to introduce our mayor Yadira Ramos Herbert.

Woo!

City Manager Will Melendez.

Deputy City Manager Todd Costaldo.

We have Fire Chief Andy Sandor here with us.

City Council Representative Shane Ocean Loyer.

We have from Westchester County a lot of representatives today.

Of course, we'll start with County Executive Ken Jenkins.

And in case you didn't hear that, the first time that was Ken Jenkins, because we are live outside on Main Street.

Of course, we also have Westchester County legislator Judith Judith Holstein and Terry Clements.

I believe Martha Lopez, another City Council representative and director of MWBE is here with us.

We also have from Parks and Rec who just did a fantastic job with the Rudolph event.

We have Commissioner Vin Parisi.

And from the New Rochelle Downtown Bid, the brand new executive director, Ann Gold.

And I think that's everyone, because I'm a little blinded by the spotlights.

So thank you all for coming, officials and the crowd.

I'd also like to say events like this are only happening in the city of New Rochelle with the support of so many of our local businesses and organizations.

So I'd like to give a shout out to the many sponsors who are here today.

And we have girls who are giving out, we have uh gifts and presents for them as well.

So we have the tree is sponsored by High Life Health.

The Minora is sponsored by Cannabis Reserve, and owner Jay Gutierrez is here with us today.

Humble Bumble booksellers who you can find at the holiday market in New Rock City on the second floor.

They are the Kwanzaa sponsors, so we're very thrilled to have them.

Riverside Memorial Chapel is here representing the dreidels.

The girls have packets of dreidels and gelt that they're giving out, so please make sure all the kids get those.

So please make sure you get those as well.

We have um from the um for the cookies, of course, we have Orlando here with New Rochelle Bakery, he's right there.

Lovely fresh goods from New Rochelle Bakery, we love that.

Alicia's bakery on the other end of Main Street, they're here too with their cookies.

Stop and shop and Sea Town in downtown New Rochelle have also donated.

And Hot Chocolate has been supplied by Beachbond Tavern, the Lions Club, Kenny's on the water, and Leibans right across the street, where we all get our school supplies and uniforms.

So just again, thank you so much, and don't forget to get all the handouts from the girls, the glasses, the dreidels, the Kwanzaa packets, and of course, Santa, when he gets here, has candy cans for everyone.

So with that, we'd like to bring up just a little performance from songcatchers.

Just kind of buy those microphones, please.

Very, very reasonable music lessons, both in choir and musical instruments.

So if you'd like to check them out at any time, you're welcome to go to songcatchers.org and you'll find out about them.

They're usually an annual performer here with us.

So I'm Robert Paleo, director of uh the choir of songcatchers.

And we're gonna begin with a song for Hanukkah, Spin Spin Spin, which is a song about dancing the horror.

And uh Hanukkah begins December 14th.

The holiday begin!

The holiday begins.

Let's all give a cheer for Honey Guy.

Celebrating as we dance and sing.

The holiday begins.

Let's all give a cheer for Honey Fun and Cheer for Holly Folies.

Hi.

Excellent.

Excellent.

And now we have a Spanish song.

Burrito about a donkey that needs to be hurried to go to the manger.