The lighting ceremony for Paducah's Christmas in the Park set for Wednesday

The lighting ceremony for the 28th annual Paducah Power System Christmas in the Park is set for Wednesday evening.

The lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. in Noble Park will be followed by the Walk Under the Lights until 7 p.m. Santa will help Paducah Power System to throw the switch and then everyone will be able to walk through the park and get an up-close look at the lights. After 7 p.m., the park will open to vehicle traffic. Parking for the ceremony will be available next to the skatepark and ballparks. 

The lights will be on nightly through December 31st. Sunday through Thursday the park will be lit from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Christmas in the Park is free, but there will be volunteers each night to accept donations of money and canned goods. The food and money collected will be divided among the Family Service Society, Paducah Cooperative Ministry, the Salvation Army, and St. Vincent DePaul.

Andrea Underwood, Director of Human Resources and Community Relations for Paducah Power System said, “The lights are a gift to this region, and, in return, the generosity of this community provides helping agencies with money for utility assistance and food for struggling families.”

According to PPS, in the 27 years of Christmas in the Park, the community has donated 1.2 million pounds of food and over $933,000.

Underwood added, "We could surpass the cash total of $1 million for the history of this event, but our season is a little short, given the late arrival of Thanksgiving, so we need a lot of community support to hit that goal.”