NEWS:

‘Festival of Lights’ Kicks Off Holiday Season Nov. 20

New Children’s Activities Begin at 4:30

NEWTON – The C. Edward McCracken Festival of Lights will jump start the holiday season earlier than normal this year by offering activities for children two hours before the customary tree lighting.

Families are welcome to bring their children at 4:30 p.m. November 20 to the hospital’s main lobby for pictures with Santa, Rudolph and Frosty, to color holiday pictures which will be hung in the pediatric unit and so much more.

“It’s such a festive atmosphere and we wanted to add something new this year that would welcome families to the hospital to see all the wonderful things happening at Newton Memorial,” said hospital Vice President of Development Megan Sandow. “We want to continue to find ways to honor the legacy of Mr. McCracken, whose children continue to be major supporters of the hospital, the Foundation and this special event.”

At 6:30 p.m., members of the McCracken-Hazan family will turn on holiday lights that illuminate the evergreen trees that line the hospital’s southern driveway. These lights are lit in memoriam of loved ones by members of the community who have the option of donating $30 for a single strand of lights or $200 to light an entire tree. The proceeds raised from these donations will go to support the addition of imaging services to the hospital’s radiology suite. These include digital mammography and bone densitometry machines.

More importantly, these donations help brighten the campus for patients who unexpectedly find themselves in the hospital during the holiday season, which was Mr. McCracken’s intent when he began the event 19 years ago.

Sponsored by Smith-McCracken and Wood Funeral Homes and the Hazan Family, Festival of Lights is one of Sussex County’s premiere holiday traditions.  The traditional lighting ceremony will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, and followed by a spectacular firework’s display sponsored by EmCare and the Emergency Room Physicians at Newton Memorial Hospital.

Contributors’ names will be recorded in a Festival of Light’s Tribute Book on a Recognition Board inside the hospital’s main entrance.

Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, November 20; attendance is free.

Please call 973.579.8309 to purchase lights. Visit the C. Edward McCracken Festival of Lights page to view a video on the event and the expanded imaging services.