Christmas Tree Lighting event to boast enhancements

These are some of the enhancements planned for the Menifee Christmas Tree Lighting event.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Dec. 3 Christmas Tree Lighting event in Menifee will be more festive than in the past, thanks to action taken this week by the Menifee City Council.

The annual event will once again take place in the parking lot of Mt. San Jacinto College, where a tree that is part of the college’s landscaping will serve as the city’s Christmas tree. Additional funds were approved for this year’s event to expand the snow play area, add a trackless train ride for the kids, and provide roaming entertainers, among other amenities.

Council members discussed the possibility of purchasing or renting an artificial tree that would serve as a larger, more colorful site for the tree lighting. Cost of such action would take an estimated $30,000 to $40,000, however, requiring an additional allocation of up to $31,000. Purchasing a live tree would be even more expensive, estimated at $65,000.

Rather than inflate the budget to bring in a bigger tree, council members decided to use the existing budget – which was increased from previous years -- to cover additional tree decorations and the extra amenities previously mentioned.

“Considering inflation and the cost of an artificial tree, I feel we should do things we have now within the budget and re-visit this next year,” said Mayor Pro Tem Dean Deines.

The Christmas Tree Lighting event will also include vendor booths, live entertainment and the arrival of Santa Claus.